Parish Groups
There are many Groups and Organisations within the Parish. Below are the details of some of them. As we develop our web presence more information and groups will appear in this space as well as ways to get involved in them.
Children
The adults of our parish are very jealous of the children’s activities throughout the year.
Every Sunday the children have their own liturgy sessions. The adults think that they are going to just colour pictures but the children and the catechists are learning all the time. All children are welcome to come to the liturgy sessions; the readings are exactly the same as the adults. It is not just about colouring pictures, they have made angels, boats, cards and doves – Blue Peter presenters beware!!
Adults are always welcome to these sessions, you never know you may like it so much you will want to come and help.
The Parish pool party is held around Epiphany time at Newbridge leisure centre, swimming first and then party food upstairs in the function room afterwards. This is an event much enjoyed by everyone.
In the summer term we have an event for the over 10’s and adults – a Bowling evening. This is held at Bowlplex in Nantgarw. This is a highly enjoyable evening for both the children and the adults and gets quite competitive!!
The celebrations for the feast day of St. Clare are held in Risca with a fun event for all the children of the parish. A bouncy castle is the main attraction; adults beware no admission on this above the age of 12! Face painting and games among the other activities.
Cwmcarn scenic drive awaits the teddy bears picnic which is held July/august time. Lots of fun is held here with games, songs, BBQ, picnic, parachute games and we even go on a bear hunt!!
The children also have their own version of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
Christmas eve they have the crib service where the children take a full part in the service, doing the readings and putting the crib in place.
First Holy Communion preparation is an important time for our children aged 8+. At present we are using the programme “I Belong” which takes the children through 10 chapters of their journey to this important time in their life. Catechists, family, parishioners and the priest are all involved in this programme.
Curious about these events? Then please come and enjoy these events with us, we are all children at heart and they are our future!
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Senior Citizens
The Senior Citizens meet once a week in the Church Hall in Pontllanfraith on Tuesdays from 1.45pm to 3.45pm.
The Community bus is used to take our members to and from the Hall. They enjoy meeting up to have a chat over a cup of tea and some cake and biscuits. Then, it’s a game of bingo and the weekly raffle.
Our Senior Citizens pay £1.00 a week which pays for them to enter the raffle and have bigo prizes.
This money also pays for them to go on two outings during the year – the most recent one being to Barry and St. Fagans – and to enjoy a Christmas Dinner.
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Catechism
The Catechism class is held every Wednesday evening in the Sacred Heart Church Hall in Pontllanfraith. This has been running for many, many years and has proved popular with both parents and children. In the last year we have also started a Catechism class every Tuesday evening in Ss. Anthony & Clare Church Hall in Risca.
The children undertake a variety of activities whilst learning whilst learning about their faith, guided by volunteer catechists.
The children prepare Masses for special occasions such as Mothering Sunday or First Holy Communion.
During Advent, they bring gifts for the elderly or sick people of the parish. These are then distributed when the children go carol singing before Christmas.
The children have also organised evenings where they entertain the people of the parish, inviting them to come along and watch them perform The Nativity, or dance, sing songs, recite poems or play musical instruments or simply enjoy a cup of tea and a chat with our youngsters.
Do come along and find out more about us – the more the merrier.
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Saint Vincent de Paul
St Vincent de Paul Society
(England and Wales)
Turning Concern into Action
The St Vincent de Paul Society (‘SVP’) is an international Christian voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Active in England and Wales since 1844, today it continues to address social, spiritual and material needs in all its many forms.
For assistance or information on Parish Conference meetings please contact………..
To learn more of the work of the SVP please click on the link svp.org.uk
Premananda Children’s Orphanage.
I first learned about this orphanage several years ago when I was visiting my friend who teaches at a Catholic school in Hereford . Father Jojaiah had visited the school and others in the area to talk about his work. I was shown the hand painted Christmas cards and felt that this was a way in which I could help. Selling these cards was not a problem as everybody loved them and marvelled at the handiwork and more and more people were asking about the. Fellow parishioners asked if they could take them into their workplace to sell. People to whom the cards had been sent admired them. Many people wanted to know more about where the cards had come from.
The Premananda Children’s Orphanage was started after the terrible cyclone in 1996 in Ongole, which devastated the Prakasam district. The centre is a few miles inland from the Bay of Bengal . Thousands of people lost their lives and consequently there were many orphan children. It was realised that there was a need for a permanent rehabilitation for these children and it was decided to build an orphanage to care for them. With encouragement and support from well wishers at home and abroad the permanent orphanage building was constructed and opened in June 1998 with 60 orphan boys and girls. It was also realised that there was a need for the rehabilitation of the children of the economically poor and socially oppressed communities so the orphanage opened its doors and welcomed those children also. There are now over 150 children at the home which is spread over two sites, one for boys and one for girls. They are provided with primary education by qualified teachers at the Centre and then sent for High School Studies to other places where this can be provided but the orphanage bears the cost of these studies and as the literature says “ During the school holidays the children return to the orphanage and spend his/her holidays joyfully with the other children” in other words, The Premananda Orphanage Centre is the permanent home for these children.
We, as a parish, sponsor three children and in addition there are thirty children sponsored individually by members of the parish for which Bishop Moses and the children are most grateful.
Sadly, Father Jojaiah died in the November of 2008 which was a great sadness. His work at the Orphanage has however been takewn over by the Diocese and the work he started does continue.
If any wishes to sponsor a child they may do so at a cost of £200.00 per year. This will provide one child with food, clothes and education for one year.
CAN YOU HELP?
If so, please contact me. Thank you.
Imelda Mortimer
HCPT The Pilgrimage Trust.
Within the parish there are representatives from 2 of the local HCPT groups.
Groups 59 and Group
737. Both of these groups are part of the HCPT organisation which takes children to Lourdes at Easter. Group 59 is a Family Group and Group 737 is a Welsh Support Group which trains and takes young people so that they can help out the family groups and hopefully join family groups as helpers in the future.
HCPT was founded by Dr Michael Strode, a background of this can be found on the trust website to which there is a link at the side of the page.
Each group consists of a group leader, a group chaplain and group nurse. Then there are helpers of 1-2 per child plus extra helpers, each group takes up to 10 children.
The week is filled with fun, laughter and friendships. The groups do lots of fundraising throughout the year to raise the funds for each child which this year was £710 per child!
During the week the groups stay in hotels as family groups all together, they visit the town of Lourdes and where Bernadette lived and grew up, on the Wednesday we attended a mass with all the welsh groups, then on the Thursday everyone attends the ‘Trust’ mass which there are 5,000 people there altogether. This years ‘Trust’ mass is being hosted by the welsh region, preparations are well underway.
One of the days we have a trip away from the town this could be to Gavarnie – the mountains in the Pyrenees, the Zoo.
Visits are made to the children prior to the trip to build up a rapport and get to know the child. In this way we manage to travel as a ‘family’ rather than as just helpers and children.
