Welcome
Welcome to St Bede Catholic Church
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
"The last shall be first..."
A man arrived at gates of heaven. St. Peter asked, Religion? The man said, Methodist. Peter looked down at his list and said, go to room 24, but be very quiet as you pass room 12. Another man arrived at the gates of heaven. Religion? Lutheran. Go to room 18 but be very quiet as you pass room 12. A third man arrived at the gates. Religion? Presbyterian. Go to room 14 but be very quiet as you pass room 12. The man said I can understand there being different rooms for different denominations, but why must I be quiet when I pass room 12. St. Peter laughs and goes Shhh, the catholics are in room 12, and they think they are the only ones here.
Who or how many will be saved has always been an issue among many believers. Some have pegged it at 144,000, in literal interpretation of the book of Revelations 7:4, while forgetting the additional verse; ‘great multitude impossible to count’ in vs9 of the same chapter. The bottom line is that nobody knows.
As Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem in today’s gospel, he is asked a question; “will only a few be saved?” The question reflects the belief of many Jews at the time of Jesus at they alone were God’s chosen people, guaranteed of salvation. This idea is also found in Christianity and other religions. For a long time, Christians believed that only they will be saved. The slogan had been “Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus.” (outside the church there is no salvation). Yet even among Christians there are divisions about who or which denomination is on the right path to salvation.
As catholics, we can feel proud to be in direct line from the church of the Apostles and privileged to be the inheritors of the richest Christian traditions. Yet, what inspired the question “will only a few be saved” was such exclusivity and superiority. While the question focused on the numbers, Jesus’ answer focused on how to be saved, which is “by entering through the narrow gate.” Jesus described it as “taking up your cross every day and follow me.” That is the path to salvation, that is open to all, without exception. “Men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the Kingdom of God…”
God bless you all. Fr. Henry
IN THE NEWS...
Pope Leo XIV to Rimini Meeting: Hope does not disappoint
Pope Leo XIV invites participants in the 46th Meeting of Friendship Among Peoples to remember that peace is made up of daily gestures, and warns that the digital revolution poses a series of risks and challenges.
Pope Leo XIV encouraged those participating in the Meeting for Friendship Among Peoples - commonly referred to as the "Rimini Meeting" - to be peacemakers, full of hope, who work for the common good, in a message released Thursday signed on his behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Holy See ‘supports efforts to restore peace in Haiti’
The Holy See has reiterated the Church’s closeness to the people of Haiti, reaffirming its constant support for efforts to promote peace and stability in the violence-ridden nation.
The Organization of American States (OAS) held a meeting in Washington, DC, on August 20 to present a roadmap for Haiti, which has endured a cycle of unending gang violence for over four years.
On July 7, 2021, President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his residence in Port-au-Prince, and powerful gangs have wreaked havoc on the country since then, at times controlling over 85 percent of the capital.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, and over 5,000 were killed in 2024 alone.
Latin Church in Ukraine: We welcome every effort for peace with hope
Latin Church in Ukraine: We welcome every effort for peace with hope
Bishop Vitalij Skomarovskyj, president of the Latin Rite episcopate in Ukraine, expresses his gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for proclaiming 22 August as a day of prayer and peace for regions affected by conflict.
Hope that does not bend, even under the most relentless and brutal bombardment — this is what sustains the Ukrainian people, who live with hearts torn between pain from the unceasing attacks by Russian forces and hope that ongoing international negotiations might finally open the door to peace after more than three and a half years of war, death, and atrocities.
ABOUT SAINT BEDE...
St Bede 673-735AD
Bede was born in 673 AD in the northeast of England. From the age of seven, he received a Benedictine education at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Wearmouth, today part of Sunderland. Bede spent his whole life within the twin monasteries of St Peter at Wearmouth and St Paul in Jarrow, where he became a Benedictine monk and continued his studies using the fine libraries established by the monastery's founder, St Benedict Biscop, Bede's first teacher, and under the guidance of Abbot Ceolfrith (Ceolwulf).
Bede wrote on many topics. His most famous work, Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (the Ecclesiastical History of the English People), earned Bede the title "The Father of English History". His works revealed not only Bede's qualities as a scholar and historian but also the qualities of modesty and humility which make his works so memorable. However, Bede's work shows that he had at his command all the learning of his time. Bede's writings included papers and articles on scientific, historical, theological, and mathematical matters, as well as poetry and literature. St Bede is widely regarded as the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon scholars. His sainthood was generally recognized around fifty years after his death on 25th May 735 AD. His bones were later elevated from St Paul's in Jarrow to Durham, where they lie in the Galilee Chapel at Durham Cathedral. Bede's scholarship and importance to Catholicism were recognized on 13th November 1899 when Pope Leo XIII decreed the title of Doctor Ecclesiae to St Bede the Venerable, making him the only English Doctor of the Church.
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