Feast of the Holy Family
Jesus, Mary and Joseph pray for us and our families.
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts;
let the message of Christ find a home with you.
Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
‘Take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.’
When the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
God our Father, in the Holy Family of Nazareth
you have given us the true model of a Christian home.
Grant that by following Jesus, Mary and Joseph in their love for each other and in the example of their family life, we may come to your home of peace and joy.
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.
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.
Pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis
Lord give us a spirit of Hope in this Holy Year of Hope.
Sacred Heart of Jesus have Mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of John Farnell a member of Theotokos Prayer Group. May he Rest in Peace. Pray for his wife Magaret and family.
Pray for healing for Ben.
Pray for Margaret who had Pneumonia but has now been told she has Blood Cancer;
Melanie who has Lung Cancer.
Pray for healing for a young man in hospital after having his drink spiked, he has been unresponsive since admission 4 weeks ago.
Pray for Martyn, Marcin, Terry, John Morgan, Lisa, Frances, Rosie, Adam Grey with cancer, Charlotte, Susan, Kyle, Catherine and Peter, Anne Shepherd, Felicity, Jessica, Marie Bedingfield, Milo, John Joynes, Vanessa, Cathy, Matthew, Gina Hardy, Owen McEneaney, Reese, Tony, Joan, Jackie, Nathan, David, Derek, Malcolm, Hollie, and Harlan Moon.
Pray for healing for Lynn and Anne both with chronic illness.
Pray for Gina (aged 31) who is waiting for a further pancreas transplant.
Pray for Alan Guile may the Lord strengthen him and his ministry.
Pray for Grace who is dying - Lord be with her
Pray for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death.
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 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 in England:
http://www.ccr.org.uk/
6. Catholic Charismatic Renewal International
https://www.charis.international/en/home/
7. Celebrate Conference website
https://www.celebratetrust.org/
8. CHARIS in England and Wales
www.charisuk.com
9.CaFE - Catholic Faith Exploration (faithcafe.org)
Events
We have a break over Christmas and New Year and begin meeting again on 13 January 2026 at 7.30pm in The Creche in St Patricks Church, Glenfield Road, Fairfield, Stockton TS19 7PL. All welcome.
Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope
The 2025 Jubilee officially opened on December 24, 2024 with the rite of Opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter by the Holy Father.
Link to Jubilee website: Jubilee 2025 https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html
POPE LEO XIV
ANGELUS
St Peter's Square
Sunday, 28 December 2025
________________________________________
Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, and the Liturgy offers us the story of their flight into Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-15, 19-23).
It is a moment of trial for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Indeed, the bright image of Christmas is suddenly almost eclipsed by the disturbing shadow of a deadly threat, which has its origin in the troubled life of Herod. A cruel and bloodthirsty man, who is feared for his brutality, but precisely for this reason he is deeply lonely and gripped with the fear of being deposed. When he learns from the Magi that the “king of the Jews” has been born (Mt 2:2), feeling this to be a threat to his power, he decrees that all children of the same age as Jesus should be killed. In his kingdom, God is performing the greatest miracle in history, in which all the ancient promises of salvation are fulfilled, but he cannot see this because he is blinded by the fear of losing his throne, riches and privileges. In Bethlehem there is light and joy as some shepherds have received the heavenly announcement and have glorified God before the manger (cf. Lk 2:8-20). But none of this can penetrate the armored defenses of the royal palace, except as a distorted echo of a threat to be stifled with blind violence.
It is precisely this hardness of heart, however, that further highlights the value of the presence and mission of the Holy Family. In the despotic and greedy world represented by the tyrant, it is the birthplace and cradle of the only possible answer of salvation, that of God who, in total gratuitousness, gives himself to men without reserve and without pretension. Being obedient to the voice of the Lord by taking his Bride and child to safety, the gesture of Joseph is revealed in all its redemptive significance. In Egypt, the flame of domestic love, to which the Lord has entrusted his presence in the world, grows and gains strength in order to bring light to the whole world.
As we contemplate this mystery with wonder and gratitude, we think of our families and the light they can bring to the society in which we live. Unfortunately, the world always has its “Herods,” its myths of success at any cost, of unscrupulous power, of empty and superficial well-being, and it often pays the price in the form of loneliness, despair, divisions and conflicts. Let us not allow these mirages to suffocate the flame of love in Christian families. On the contrary, in our families, we should cherish the values of the Gospel: prayer, frequent reception of the sacraments – especially Confession and Communion – healthy affections, sincere dialogue, fidelity, and the simple and beautiful concreteness of everyday words and gestures. This will make them a light of hope for the places in which we live; a school of love and an instrument of salvation in God’s hands (cf. Francis, Homily at Mass for the 10th World Meeting of Families, 25 June 2022).
Let us therefore ask our Father in Heaven, through the intercession of Mary and Saint Joseph, to bless our families and all families throughout the world, so that by following the model of his Son made man, they may be for all an efficacious sign of his presence and his endless charity.
_________________
After the Angelus
Dear brothers and sisters,
I offer my warm greetings to all of you, Romans and pilgrims from various countries.
In particular, I greet the young people from Clusone, Gerenzano, and San Bartolomeo in Bosco, the confirmands from Adrara San Martino, the young people and altar servers from Brescia, the participants in the pilgrimage of the Pastoral Unit of Sarezzo, and the Scouts from Treviso.
I also greet the educators of Catholic Action in Limena and Morciano (Romagna), the leaders of the San Pius X Oratory in Portogruaro, the group of volunteers from Borgomanero, the faithful of San Cataldo and Serradifalco, and the members of the Pro Loco of Sant’Egidio del Monte Albino.
In the light of the Nativity of the Lord, let us continue to pray for peace. Today, in particular, let us pray for families suffering because of war, especially for children, elderly and the most vulnerable. Let us entrust ourselves together to the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
I wish everyone a happy Sunday!
The Jubilee 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
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