Weekly Column

Your Bible: Every Catholic's Essential Companion by Noel Donnelly

The author, Noel Donnelly, will be familiar to anyone who reads the Sunday Plus newsletter, as he is a regular contributor. Having read his articles, which clearly explain Biblical passages, I noticed he had written this book and ordered a copy.

The book is A4 format and full of colour photographs. It's a book that is what it says: an essential guide. It is easy to dip into, to read a couple of pages on an aspect of the Bible and then to reflect on it (as indeed the author encourages us to do).

A stranger moved into a small  village and, that evening, walked into the local pub and ordered three beers. The bartender raised his eyebrows but served the man three beers, which he drank quietly at a table, alone. An hour later, the man had finished the three beers and ordered three more.

The next evening the man again ordered and drank three beers at a time. Soon the entire town was whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers. Finally, a week later, the bartender broached the subject on behalf of the village. "I don't mean to pry, my friend, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?"

"'Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies, "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond." 

The bartender and the whole town was pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him drink.

Then, one day, the man came in and ordered only two beers. The bartender poured them with a heavy heart. This continued for the rest of the evening. The word flew around town – he’s only ordering two beers. Prayers were offered for the soul of one of the brothers.

The next day, the bartender said to the man, "The people of the village all want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother, you know, the two beers and all..."

The man pondered this for a moment, then replied, "You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. ’Tis just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

Here are a few photos from Fr Vincent's ordination on 30 October. We hope to have a full gallery on the website soon, so check back for those.

A gallery of photos from the trip are now online. See here.

Our Lady of Lourdes RC Parish Pilgrimage to Rome & Assisi 16th-21st October 2010

Thirty three pilgrims gathered at Our Lady of Lourdes church car park early on Saturday morning to board the coach to Stansted airport for our flight to Rome.

The pilgrimage started the moment the coach doors closed with a pilgrimage prayer prepared by our Spiritual Director Fr Kevin Moule and thus fortified by the Holy Spirit our pilgrimage began. The flight was uneventful and we arrived on time at Ciampino Airport, Rome. We were met by the Pax Travel pilgrimage representative Misia Boccia who was to prove to be both knowledgeable and entertaining during our stay in Rome.