Pope Francis. Requiescat in Pace.

Congratulations to eight young men baptised, confirmed and received into the Church at the Easter Vigil. Thank you to Jack Clarke and Margaret Tolan who, along with Fr Simon, accompanied them on their journey of faith. Matthew, Margaret, Jack, Jacob, Nathan, George, Jake, Will, Will, Fr Simon and David will continue to meet and explore faith in the weeks to come and, if anyone out there is looking to join the Catholic Church, they are very welcome to come and explore with us. Just speak with Fr Simon after Mass to register your interest. Confirmation names chosen by the candidates include the patron saint of England - George, the soldier who pierced Christ’s side on the cross and became a convert - Longinus, Oscar Romero, the martyred bishop of El Salvador and Francis of Assisi.

May is the month dedicated to Mary and the May crowning is an act of popular devotion in honour of our Blessed Mother, proclaimed as Queen of Heaven by Pope Pius XII. The children attending the 9am Mass on Sunday 4th May will participate in the crowning and everyone is invited to bring flowers to offer our Blessed Mother this day and throughout the month of May. Vases will be available in the Lady Chapel for your convenience. A special Tea and Coffee will be served in the Centre after Mass.

Pope Francis has encouraged parishes to connect with local Saints in this Jubilee Year, asking them to "remember and honour these figures of holiness each year". Richard Atkinson, a parishioner from Yorkshire has researched a selection of Saints and the Blessed with Yorkshire connections and has kindly agreed to come to St Robert's to share with us his understanding of their journey in faith to demonstrate the extraordinary lives they led from ordinary beginnings. The lives of the Saints are a historical account but their witness of God's love along with their intercessions shed light on our lives today. The talk will take place in the parish centre at 4pm on Sunday 18th May and all are welcome. Refreshments will be provided. Do put this date into your diary - it should be an enjoyable and informative event in celebration of this Jubilee Year.

The next Men's Evening will take place on Wednesday 21st May between 6.30pm to 9.30pm. It will begin with the usual adoration in church from 6.30pm. We will then repair to the parish centre at 7pm for drinks and a talk by St Robert's parishioner Mr Eddie Gray, former football player and coach and an integral member of the legendary Leeds United team in the 1960's and 1970's. The talk will be followed by a two course meal. Do join us for what should be an enjoyable evening. A sign up sheet is in the narthex simply to give an idea of numbers. A nominal charge of £15 to cover costs will be payable on the night by cash or card. Any monies left over will go into the St Robert's Building Fund. A sign up sheet will be placed at the back of church in early May.

A Celebration Mass for Married Life for couples and their families celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th wedding anniversaries this year will take place at St Anne's Cathedral at noon on Saturday 17th May, giving couples an opportunity to renew their marriage vows. If you are celebrating the anniversary of your wedding and you would like to take part, please fill out the application form which is available at the back of church or downloadable below.

Recently it was announced that, due to an accumulation of quite urgent work which needs to take place on the church and presbytery, mainly in the area of roof and drains, we would be setting up a Building Fund to ease the burden on existing parish funds. Just to update everyone, we are grateful to the parishioners who have joined a small Building Fund Committee to steer things. A number of ideas were put forward at the initial meeting and it was decided to launch the fund on Low Sunday (27th April). A number of parishioners have indicated that they would like to add to the fund in this financial year and arrangements have been made so that this can happen through contact with Caroline in the parish office. Once the fund launches, an overview of the proposed works with pictures of some of the affected areas will be available on the parish website along with regular updates on the progress of both the fund and the work. Just now, the architect’s proposals are going through the various diocesan committees

Thank you to those parents who have signed up their children for First Holy Communion this year. Applications for this year's programme have now closed - the registration period of several weeks is now over. The First Holy Communion Programme will begin with a parents evening at 7pm on Tuesday 22nd April 2025 in the parish centre. This will be an opportunity for all parents to attend a presentation on what the programme involves and on the work that they are expected to do with their children at home between the sessions. The catechesis will take place after the 9am Mass from 10-11.30am on Sundays 27th April, 11th May and 18th May with your child receiving First Holy Communion at your usual mass time throughout June. Please arrange with the parish office the mass date and time you would like your child to receive the sacrament for the first time. A plenary mass, when all the children come together to be presented to the parish and receive their certificates, will take place at 9am on Sunday 6th July.

CAFOD

Please find on the link below a letter from Fr Simon and Miss Collins, headteacher of St Robert's School, outlining information for parents who are considering signing their children up for First Sacraments in St Robert's parish. Details of dates for the First Communion course and dates for holy communions will be announced in due course. This year, families will be given a choice of dates and Masses during the month of June at which their child can make their first holy communion and then there will be a joint celebration organised in July to bring the group together. You will find elsewhere on the website and on the parish bulletin details of the Reconciliation programme. The deadline for application for Confirmation has now passed but candidates will be able to apply for the 2026 Confirmation course in due time.