Theotokos Prayer Group - Easter Sunday 5 April 2026

 

Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed;
let us therefore celebrate the festival in the Lord.
Alleluia.

Gospel    John 20:1-9‘He must rise from the dead.’
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going towards the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on the head of Jesus, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

On this day, Lord God, you opened for us the way to eternal life through your only Son’s victory over death.

Grant that as we celebrate the feast of his resurrection

we may be renewed by your Holy Spirit and rise again in the light of life.

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.

Picture

Picture of a long line of people being urged on by Blessed Mother to go to one of the many Priests standing around the foot of the Cross of Her Son Jesus.
His Heart is exposed and is aflame with fire!
The people are being aided by the many prayers of Blessed Mothers Army to keep going even though some are in pain, some are carrying great weights of sin, some seem to have ice around their hearts and some are bound to addictions etc by the adversary!
Many people who visit the Priest and receive pardon actually see their sins lift and be annihilated in the burning Heart of Jesus.

"My Children,
Pray for those who cannot at this point in time pray!
Pray that all bonds will be broken and that the loads, chains and sins will be taken from them in the act of confessing to a Priest Son.
Pray that their hearts will melt with the love of My Son Jesus.
Pray for courage to take the first step for them.
Your prayers magnified by My Immaculate Heart will help them in the best way to come back to Him Who is all forgiving when a heart is truly repentant.
I cover you each with My Maternal Mantle.
Mary"

Just a short bulletin this week as I am away for the weekend.

No meeting on 7 April.

Our next meeting is on 14 April 2026 at 7.30pm in The Creche in St Patricks Church, Glenfield Road, Fairfield, Stockton TS19 7PL. All welcome.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! 

Theotokos Prayer Group - Passion Sunday, 29 March 2026 - Palm Sunday

 

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
Christ became for us obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.

Gospel:    Matthew 21:1-11

‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord needs them”, and he will send them at once.’ This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Sion, “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” ’
  The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’

Notes from meeting on 24 March:

Picture of  a large Cross, all that can be seen in the centre is the suffering Sacred Heart of Jesus. His Heart is pulsating and every so often convulsing in great pain and a large globule of His Blood erupts and falls onto what looks like a granite rock. When His Blood hits the rock it softens and becomes malleable and pliable.

"My People,
Do not walk away from Me, come be with Me, harden not your hearts, let My great Love, the Love of My Blood poured out for you, draw you to Me.

Let My Blood soften and warm you, you my people gather round Me, I Myself draw you to Me, let My Blood be not wasted for it is too much to bear.

See how my Heart convulses and bleeds for Love of You. You that love Me bring to Me those in prayer that cause My Heart so much pain. Together let us draw them to My burning throbbing Heart, this Heart that is annihilated by Love for those who ignore my most heartfelt Love.

You My Lambs become living sacrifices of love and so draw to My Heart those I most desire, let not My Blood be wasted dear ones. I LOVE YOU!
Your Jesus"

Psalm 46, 1 to 7

___________________________

LEO XIV

GENERAL AUDIENCE

St Peter's Square

Wednesday, 25 March 2026

_________________

Catechesis. The Documents of the Second Vatican Council. II. Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium. 5. On the foundation of the Apostles. The Church in her hierarchical dimension

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

We will continue our catecheses on the Documents of the Second Vatican Council, commenting on the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium on the Church (LG). After presenting her as the People of God, today we will consider her hierarchical form.

The Catholic Church is founded on the Apostles, whom Christ appointed as the living pillars of His mystical Body, and possesses a hierarchical structure that works in the service of the unity, mission and sanctification of all her members. This sacred Order is permanently founded on the Apostles (cf. Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14), as authoritative witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:22; 1 Cor 15:7) and sent by the Lord Himself on mission into the world (cf. Mk 16:15; Mt 28:19). Since the Apostles are called to faithfully preserve the Master’s salvific teaching (cf. 2 Tim 1:13–14), they hand on their ministry to men who, until Christ’s return, continue to sanctify, guide and instruct the Church “through their successors in pastoral office” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 857).

This apostolic succession, founded on the Gospel and in the Tradition, is explored further in Chapter III of Lumen gentium, entitled “On the hierarchical structure of the Church and in particular on the Episcopate”. The Council teaches that the hierarchical structure is not a human construct, functional to the internal organization of the Church as a social body (cf. LG, 8), but a divine institution whose purpose is to perpetuate the mission given by Christ to the Apostles until the end of time.

The fact that this theme is addressed in Chapter III, after the first two chapters have considered the very essence of the Church (cf. Acta Synodalia III/1, 209–210), does not imply that the hierarchical constitution is a subsequent element with respect to the People of God: as the Decree Ad gentes notes, “the Apostles were the first budding-forth of the New Israel, and at the same time the beginning of the sacred hierarchy” (no. 5), inasmuch as they were the community of those redeemed by Christ’s Paschal Mystery, established as a means of salvation for the world.

To understand the Council’s intention, it is advisable to read carefully the title of Chapter III of Lumen gentium, which explains the fundamental structure of the Church, received from God the Father through the Son and brought to fulfilment by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Council Fathers did not want to present the institutional elements of the Church, as the noun “constitution” might imply if understood in the modern sense. The Document concentrates instead on the “ministerial or hierarchical priesthood”, which differs “in essence and not only in degree” from the common priesthood of the faithful, recalling that the latter are “nonetheless interrelated: each of them in its own special way is a participation in the one priesthood of Christ” (LG, 10). The Council thus addresses the ministry conferred upon men endowed with sacra potestas, sacred power (cf. LG, 18) for service in the Church: it focuses in particular on the episcopate (LG, 18–27), then on the priesthood (LG, 28) and the diaconate (LG, 29) as degrees of the one sacrament of Holy Orders.

By the adjective “hierarchical”, therefore, the Council intends to indicate the sacred origin of the apostolic ministry in the action of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, as well as its internal relationships. The Bishops, first and foremost, and through them the priests and deacons, have received tasks (in Latin munera), which lead them to the service of “all those who belong to the People of God”, so that, “working toward a common goal freely and in an orderly way, [they] may arrive at salvation” (LG, 18).

Lumen gentium repeatedly and effectively recalls the collegial and communal nature of this apostolic mission, reaffirming that the “duty which the Lord committed to the shepherds of His people is a true service, which in sacred literature is significantly called ‘diakonia’ or ministry” (LG, 24). We can therefore understand why Saint Paul VI presented the hierarchy as a reality “born of the charity of Christ, to fulfil, spread and ensure the intact and fruitful transmission of the wealth of faith, examples, precepts and charisms bequeathed by Christ to His Church” (Address, 14 September 1964, in Acta Synodalia III/1, 147).

Dear sisters, dear brothers, let us pray to the Lord that He may send to His Church ministers who are ardent with evangelical charity, dedicated to the good of all the baptized, and courageous missionaries in every part of the world.

____________________________________________

Special greetings:

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those coming from England, Ireland, Tanzania, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. I greet in particular the students of the University of Dallas Rome Program. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us ask the Lord to grant us the grace to imitate Our Blessed Mother in her total “yes” to the Lord, and so open our hearts to his will for our lives. Upon all of you and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!

_____________________________

Summary of the Holy Father's words:

Dear brothers and sisters,

In our ongoing catechesis on the Second Vatican Council, today we reflect on the teachings of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium concerning the hierarchical structure of the Church. In this regard, it is helpful to bear in mind that the Church is not something we invented, but is a divine institution established by Jesus himself. Christ appointed the apostles, placing Peter at their head, and sent them out to continue his salvific mission until his return in glory. To perpetuate this same mission, ministers were invested with sacred power to be the successors of the Apostles as Bishops, in whose ministry priests and deacons likewise participate through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Sharing in the ministry of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they are consecrated to serve the faithful, build up the Church and ensure the fruitful transmission of the faith. Let us therefore ask the Lord to continue to bless his Church with shepherds after his own heart.

______________________________________________

Intercessions

I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. Should they cry to me in any distress, I will hear them, and I will be their Lord for ever...

We pray in reparation for all offences against the life and dignity of the human person from conception until natural death. Lord have mercy on us!

Pray for our new Pope, Leo XIV, that he may shepherd the Church and proclaim Christ to the World.

Pope’s Prayer Intention – March 2026
For disarmament and peace.
Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament,
and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus have Mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us.

We pray for all who are ill in mind body or spirit and all those in any need or difficulty.

Pray for Christine awaiting CT scan results for suspected pancreatic cancer.

Pray for Marcin 

Pray for Jacob who is 6 years old he has been diagnosed with Perthes disease which affects his ability to walk.

Pray for John Morgan with pneumonia

Pray for upbuilding of Marriage and Family..

Pray for peace in our Country and our communities.

Pray for our young people that they may be protected from the evil one, that they may find a home in the loving Heart of Jesus.

Pray for all in our Parishes who are ill in body, mind or spirit.

Pray for Disha that he may find employment.

Pray for all those we have been asked and have promised to pray for.

Pray for all who are grieving give them strength, consolation and healing.

Pray for our Priests and for vocations to the Priesthood.

Pray for lost souls.

Pray for the conversion of the World.

Lord we continue to pray for Peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza and throughout the World.

Lord we pray for persecuted Christians throughout the World.

Lord we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all peoples and nations.

Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory may they be granted eternal rest.

Mary, Mother of God, Theotokos, pray for us.
Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us.
Mary, Bride of the Spirit, pray for us.

If anyone has any prophecy, prayers, readings or intercessions I encourage you to please send them to
me. Let us share with one another the gifts and inspirations of the Spirit!
Also if there any changes necessary to the intercessions - please let me know

Resources
1.Theotokos Prayer Group:
https://www.facebook.com/Theotokos-Prayer-Group-142398089120415
/http://theotokosprayergroup.blogspot.co.uk/
2. Daily Mass readings can be found at:
https://universalis.com/mass.htm
3. Bishops Conference of England and Wales Website -
https://www.cbcew.org.uk
4. Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle Website:
Home - Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle (diocesehn.org.uk)
5. Catholic Charismatic Renewal International
https://www.charis.international/en/home/
6. Celebrate Conference website
https://www.celebratetrust.org/
7. CHARIS in England and Wales
https://www.charisuk.com/
8.CaFE - Catholic Faith Exploration (faithcafe.org)

9. The Holy See

https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html

Events

Our next meeting is on 31 March 2026 at 7.30pm in The Creche in St Patricks Church, Glenfield Road, Fairfield, Stockton TS19 7PL. All welcome. 

Stephen's fundraising page Big Lent Walk 2026 is fundraising for CAFOD -
https://walk.cafod.org.uk/fundraising/stephens-fundraising-page-2026
Please support if you can, thank you 😊

So far I have walked 189km of my 200km target and raised £285 of my £200 target !