THE BENEDICTINES

 

The Missionary Benedictines from Kerala, India arrived in Swansea in 2003 at the invitation of Bishop Mark Jabale.  The currently serving Parish Priest for the parishes of Holy Cross and St Peters is Father Cyril Thadathil OSB

 
 

Sisters of the Cross and Passion, 
live and work in the parish according to the charism and vision of their foundress Mother Mary Joseph.

 

"Identification with Jesus Christ in the mystery of His Passion, Death and Resurrection is at the heart of our vocation. This call is a gift which is given to us for the service of the community, the Church and the world. 
We are invited by this call to reach out in compassion to others and through growing in solidarity with them, we share together the conviction of the power of the cross.

Our work in the parish, our ministry to the sick, our involvement in the field of religious education, our hospitality, the day to day relationships, are guided through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit to keep alive the central event in the life of Jesus, His Passion, Death and Resurrection.
We hope that our conviction in the power of the cross will touch many people's lives and that they, in turn, will enrich our lives by their own living out of the Passion in their lives".

Sister Eugenie and Sister Brid

 
"Our definitive aim as parish catechists is to give our children and their parents a loving and intimate relationship with Jesus by enabling them to grasp, at their own particular level, the greatness of the mystery of the Incarnation. We help them to see how we, as Church, enter into these mysteries in our Sunday Eucharist, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and other parish celebrations.
Through instruction, sharing and music, we also lead the children to appreciate more fully how wonderful it is to be part of God's family and thus come to realise the greatness of the sacrament of Baptism"
Sister Eugenie

The parish advisory group is made up of a cross section of parishioners together with our parish priest,
Fr Cyril. Through good communication and by working together as a team, we aim to achieve two primary goals:
 

To deepen our faith through the Liturgy

To deepen interpersonal relationships by developing community

Our tasks and responsibilities include assisting in the planning of Liturgical events and celebrations; social and fundraising activities; parish finance; the development of a youth programme. 

We will, on an ongoing basis, encourage participation from groups and individuals so that all ages and cultures have a voice and a responsibility in achieving the primary goals and vision for our parish community.
 

 
Through our music we reflect upon and reinforce the message of the Gospel. To achieve this we select music from all styles; plainchant, four part motets, world music, traditional and modern hymns, both accompanied and unaccompanied.

Through rehearsing we prepare ourselves spiritually for the different seasons of the Church's year - our faith has deepened as a result.

Socially, we have become good friends and enjoy going out to share our music in other parishes and venues in Wales, as well as further afield in England and Ireland."

Teresa Hacche   Music Director

 
"Being a sacristan gives one the privilege to prepare the altar for daily Mass, which feeds and nurtures the family of God. To keep the vessels and candle stands shining, the linen and sacristy clean, creates a feeling of warmth and welcome in God's House.

' Do little things with great love' " (Mother Teresa) "

Mary McCarthy

 
"All parish ministries are important and all ministers are aware of their privilege to serve in this way. The minister who proclaims the Word of God has to convey the message with careful thought and preparation. It helps me to pray the readings beforehand so that I can read with understanding and then try to proclaim this to the parish community.
Through His word and out of His great love for us, God has given us in the Scriptures a blueprint of how we should live our lives. I therefore believe that we should read His Holy Word with great love."

Gwyneth Dowling

 
"Children's Liturgy takes place during Sunday Mass. The children of the parish who are present come together to participate in the Liturgy of the Word. They (and some of their parents) meet in the sacristy with the Liturgy Leaders who take them on a journey through the Gospel of the day in a way that allows them to access the Gospel message at a level suited to their ages.

We enjoy listening to the Gospel, singing songs, reciting prayers and carrying out our activities linked to the Gospel and Mass theme!"

Karen McCarthy

 
"Being part of the Welcome Ministry is most rewarding. In the last few months, there have been many newcomers to our parish of Holy Cross. It is most important to make people feel part of the community.
A smile and a chat go a long way. Some people share their troubles - it is a great privilege to listen. There are some who are shy. I feel that if not for the welcomer, they may not speak to anyone.

I thank God for this ministry"

Yolanda Fletcher

 
Parish life at Holy Cross is rich and varied. Servers here have the opportunity to participate fully in all services including weekly Benediction. We all really enjoy the high ceremonial occasions throughout the Church's year. The Easter Triduum is the high point of our year on all levels - spiritually, emotionally and generally being of service to our priests and the parish community.

The Union of Catholic Mothers Wales promotes the following objectives:

To help Catholic married women to appreciate the Sacramental character, responsibilities and permanence of marriage and to live in unselfish love observing God's Law.

To assist them in bringing up their children as practising Catholics and public spirited citizens

To teach and defend Christian values in family life and to ensure for their children Catholic education

To offer love, sympathy and help to the family in difficulty

To foster vocations to life, especially in Christian Marriage, and Family Life and in the Priesthood and Religious Life

To support the parish and the parish priest in any way deemed necessary

 
The function of the Charity Shop is multi-faceted. It is a major fundraiser for the Church and for Third World Projects as well as being a gathering place for the local community.

 

Opening Hours Tuesdays + Wednesdays 10.30 am - 3.00 pm

It is ecumenical, drawing in people of all faiths and none.

Visitors share their time, their talents and occasionally their troubles and concerns.

Items sold in the shop provide affordable necessary clothing and household items for local people.

The cafe is the social meeting place. The dedicated shop team and visitors enjoy sharing together and working together.

"Hard work made light by good company"

Maria, Rosa and the team

 
In our piety shop we provide cards for all occasions, and a range of religious items and artefacts. Special orders can be placed if we do not have in stock what you require. 

 
Every parish community depends on dedicated individuals who work to maintain the church, buildings and grounds - arranging flowers, cleaning the church, planting and maintaining the gardens, maintaining the grounds and buildings - all these gifts of time and talent are vital to our parish and our community "snapshot" would be incomplete without mentioning the hard work undertaken.

 
We are a happy group of eight people who meet at the church on alternate Tuesdays. Our main concern is visiting within the parish those who are sick, lonely or housebound. These visits are usually happy occasions giving as much to us as to those whom we visit.

We are twinned with a conference in Kerala, India and from time to time we are asked to take on projects on behalf of our twin. At present we are raising funds for a water conservation scheme. This entails raising £700 over a period of three years. So far, we have sent £460 and we are well on target as we have over two of the three years left. We also maintain contact with our twin with letters and of course cards at Christmas.

Anyone who is interested in joining us can be sure of a warm welcome at the Tuesday meetings.