Bulletin - 25th May 2025

Għasri Parish's notices for this week are as follows:

- God willing, this coming Sunday, 1st June, we shall begin the Feast. In order to have a truly beautiful Feast, first and foremost we must preserve what lies at the heart of the celebration—namely, the Feast must be an expression of our Faith in God and a way of giving Him public worship. Secondly, to ensure a meaningful celebration, everyone needs to contribute. We can do this above all by participating in the church celebrations, as well as the other events linked to the Feast. Everyone should have received—or will soon receive—the programme for the Feast. We especially need your help for the Mass on Friday, 6th June. This is the community Mass, to which all Għasri residents who live outside the village or even outside Malta are invited. We ask you to be the ones to invite your Għasri relatives or friends who live away from our village. Encourage them to attend the Mass and join us afterwards for the Feast Lunch.

- Heartfelt thanks to all those who have donated towards the Feast. From the collection held last Sunday, the generous sum of €2,525 was raised. We truly appreciate your generosity. If anyone was not home and would like to contribute, they may speak to one of the priests or to a member of the Feast Committee.

- Wednesday 28th May at 10:00am, a meeting will be held for the elderly group at Villa Fiorita, Marsalforn. The theme of the meeting will be ‘How to Make a Will’. This talk will be led by Notary Maria Vella Magro (from the legal perspective) and Fr Brendan Gatt (from the ethical perspective). Those interested are kindly asked to write their name on the paper at the back table of the church. Transport will be provided.

- The Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours—A Beautiful Way to Sanctify the Lord’s Day

One way of sanctifying the Lord’s Day is through the Liturgy of the Hours. Those who wish to buy the specially prepared book—which is easy to use—should speak to the parish priest. This is a very useful tool for anyone who wishes to create a home chapel. The book costs just €25.

- Church Cleaning in Preparation for the Feast continues on Monday 26th and Wednesday 28th May, both days at 2.00pm. Can you lend a hand? Every bit of help is greatly appreciated.

- Choir Practice in Preparation for the Feast: Saturday 24th May at 3.00pm; Wednesday 28th May at 5.00pm;Friday 30th May at 7.00pm. Let’s make an effort so that the choir may truly enhance the beauty of the Feast celebrations.

- Collection Report for the Month of April: First Sunday Collection: €580.61; Easter Lottery: €412; Holy Thursday: €272; Donations during house blessings: €1,965 – these go into the parish account to cover liturgical expenses. Collections in the Parish Church: €957.33 Collections in the Church of the Visitation: €115.97 €2,000 from an anonymous donor and another €1,000 from another anonymous donor. Thank you for your generosity—this gives us courage to continue working on our projects to restore the church and the cemetery.

- Novena to the Holy Spirit in Preparation for Pentecost: The Novena to the Holy Spirit, which begins this coming Thursday evening, 29th May, is the most important of all novenas. A booklet has been prepared to follow along either in church or, for those who cannot attend, from home. Let us take this novena seriously so that we may truly invite the Holy Spirit to work within us and through us. You may collect a copy of the booklet from the table at the back of the church.

- During the Marian Wednesdays, please note that the evening Mass on Wednesdays is now being held at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Patronage at 6:30pm.

- The Don Bosco Oratory will once again be organising a Summer Club for children aged between 4 and 13 during July and August. Activities will take place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00am until noon. These include daily Mass, arts and crafts, music, dance, drama, sports, and cultural outings—all under the supervision of teachers and leaders. Applications can be collected from the Don Bosco Oratory and will be accepted until the end of May. A special programme is also planned for those in Year 8 or Form 2. Application forms are also available online at donboscogozo.org.

- A beautiful way to sanctify the Lord’s Day is through the Liturgy of the Hours. While Sunday Mass is obligatory, neglecting it seriously harms one’s faith and opens the door to spiritual darkness. However, simply attending Mass is the bare minimum. The Liturgy of the Hours allows the faithful to join the universal Church in praising God through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. Once the preserve of clergy and religious, this prayer is now available to all.

- More Focus on Wied l-Għasri Basilica: The only evening Sunday mass in Għasri will be held at Għasri's geographical heart in Gozo's first basilica at 5pm. More information on the Basilica: https://www.ghasriparish.org/basilica-ghasri . Recently, TVM (Malta's national broadcasting corporation) produced a short documentary on Gozo's first Basilica in Wied l-Għasri which can be viewed here: https://tvmi.mt/episode/104012 - Confession Times: On Saturday, a visiting confessor will be available from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. On Sunday, confession times are from 8.30 am to 9.00 am, 10.15 am to 10.45 am, and 5.55 pm to 6.15 pm. On the First Friday of the month, a visiting confessor will be available from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm. Additionally, every First Sunday of the month, a visiting confessor will be available throughout all Masses.

- We would also like to remind everyone that it is possible to leave funds with the Parish to cover funeral expenses and Masses after one’s passing. These funds, known as fiduciary donations, ensure that costs are covered, taking into account that expenses will inevitably rise in the future, while also leaving an amount for Masses. A receipt will be issued detailing the agreement with the parish. Those interested should contact the Parish Priest.

 - Communion for the sick (Viaticum) is given every Sunday after 8.30am's Mass.

Updates from various pastoral groups in Għasri Parish:

- Catechism in Għasri: There are two catechism sessions every week: Thursdays at 6.30pm and Sunday at 9.15am. Both are currently held at the Għasri Parish Centre and are available for all kids until Form 2 (Year eight).

- Every third Saturday of the month, at 7pm, we have a monthly meeting for married couples at the Għasri Parish Centre. (Not held during Summer).

- Legion of Mary: Meetings of the Legion of Mary are currently on hold. However, any individuals interested in joining this prayer and formation group under the mantle of Mary are encouraged to speak with the parish priest.

- English-Speaking Group: Prayer meeting in English every second Thursday of the month at Għasri Parish Church at 3.30pm followed by an Afternoon Tea at the rectory opposite the church. The Sunday sermons delivered at Għasri Parish church are accessible in English in this section of our website: https://www.ghasriparish.org/en/prietki 

Updates from the Għasri Parish Council:

- The parish office is open on Tuesdays (9am-10.30am), Thursdays (9am-10.30am), Sunday (9.15am-10.30am). The person who is available during these office hours is Ms. Grace Calleja from the Għasri Parish Council. Thus, one can speak directly to a parish representative on logistical/administrative matters relating to the parish during these hours.

- The updates on the two infrastructural projects which are currently ongoing at our parish are as follows > (a) Updates on the Church's roof restoration: collections during the first weekend of each month will go directly to this infrastructure project. The architect noted that it's not just the membrane which needs changing but also some stones around the windows. > (b) There are no new updates on the cemetery works. However, those who would like to reserve a new grave are kindly requested to contact the parish.

- Finance updates from the Financial Committee within the Għasri Parish Council -- no updates.

- DSO: Our Parish's Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO) is Lino Xerri and in case of need, you can contact him on 79208153.

- Those who would like to make a literary contribution to the next edition of Il-Korpus (i.e. the annual publication exclusively on Għasri's spiritual and secular history) are kindly requested to contact the editor as usual. Alternatively, one can contact the parish and we will provide the contact details of the editor.

Notes from the Gozo Diocese:

- The Diocese's pastoral theme for this year is "Stay with us, Lord" (Luke 24:29). More information on the social media of Gozo Diocese.

- The 5 Spiritual Sessions led by the Bishop of Gozo, Msgr. Anton Teuma, which were held at the parish church of Għasri earlier this decade, where the theme was Repentance, are now available online on the YouTube playlist of the Diocese of Gozo at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist... 

- Those who would like to subscribe to the print-version of Gozo Diocese's monthly publication "Il-Ħajja f'Għawdex" can send a separate email which would be forwarded to the publishers. The printed publication is in Maltese only and the fee is paid annually.

- In his message for the Jubilee of Hope in the Diocese of Gozo 2025, Bishop Anton Teuma reminds us that the Plenary Indulgence is another way in which Christians assure themselves of God’s boundless and freely given love, shown in the gift of complete forgiveness through the Church. This powerful sign of love calls for a response of love from us.The Jubilee Churches in the Diocese of Gozo will be the Cathedral Church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary in Victoria, the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu in Għarb, and the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception in Qala. The usual conditions to receive a Plenary Indulgence are true repentance and detachment from sin, a spirit of charity (love), confession, Holy Communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions, and performing one of the following: a pilgrimage to one of the Jubilee Churches, where one confesses and participates in prayer or a celebration; a visit of worship to a Jubilee site where adoration, meditation, and prayers including the Our Father, the Creed, and a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary are offered; or an act of mercy or penance. To obtain the Indulgence, one may also, in addition to visiting one of the mentioned churches, participate in one of the Jubilee celebrations that will take place for different categories of people throughout the year

Notes from the global Roman Catholic Church:

- Jubilee 2025 - In 2025, the universal Catholic Church has the Jubilee (held every 25 years). Pope Francis had prepared the following prayer: "Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen". More information: https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html 

- Pope Leo's prayer intention for May 2025 is "Let us pray that through work, each person might find fulfilment, families might be sustained in dignity, and that society might be humanized".

- For synodal updates on the Synod on Synodality, one can follow the official media of either the Gozo Diocese, the Archdiocese of Malta or the Vatican News

I wish you all a blessed week!