Blessed Robert Grissold Catholic Church
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Welcome to the website of Blessed Robert Grissold Catholic Church in Balsall Common. Here you can find details of the parish, our latest newsletter, services and sacraments offered by the Church and, in our parish archive, the events we have held. As a parish we value your privacy. Please follow the link here to learn more about the privacy policy that covers all catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Birmingham,
Father Frank writes
In the Gospel today Christ teaches us about the relationships we should nurture and enjoy as members of his Body - the Church. As the baptised we are called to live and act in a way that is caught up in God’s love and life. In this way we witness to Christ in the world. We are not to live as those who do not know Christ - those who quarrel and divide over selfish preferences, those who are motivated by self-serving desire. Rather, as members of the Church, we are to live differently, bearing witness to the alternative life Christ brings, for, as members of his Body, we are bound to him in his loving mission to the whole of creation. As co-workers with Christ, we are called to enact God’s deep love for the world - to get our minds off ourselves and our petty self-interests and to live together harmoniously.
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In the Gospel today Jesus teaches that the lives of his followers should have a distinctive quality. Like salt, we should add a peculiar flavour to life because our life in Christ is distinctive and peculiar - different from what the world has to offer. This distinctive and peculiar quality of the Christ-life in us should shine like a light in the world, because Christ is the Light of the world. But if we lose our distinctive and peculiar taste - if the light in us is dimmed or hidden through sin, or compromised with the world - then we are no longer fit for purpose and we fail in our witness to the love and light of Christ - a witness that is vital in order that all may “taste and see that the Lord is good”.
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According to Christ's teaching, even the destitute, if they have the faith, hope and love of Christ, are in far happier circumstances than the selfish rich. Jesus says, "Woe to you rich ones you have your consolation now." If through the faith, hope and love of Christ the poor can avoid the destructive bitterness which often accompanies destitution, they are far more open to the Gospel message and the Kingdom of Heaven than the rich and comfortably indifferent. The faithful poor have no treasure here below, their treasure is above, their solitary refuge and boast is in the Lord – their greatest treasure.
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This is the Sunday within the Octave of Payer for Christian Unity and, as Christians, we must be deeply committed to that unity among believers for which Jesus prayed. The two great commands of Christ, to love God with our whole strength and being and to love our neighbour as our self, show us the way to that unity, for the more we grow in love and unity with God the more we will grow in love and unity with one another. The scriptures proclaim God’s great love for the world and of his plan to draw all things together in unity in Christ. It is our great privilege to be caught up in this great love of God which we celebrate in the Eucharist where, by faith, we perceive God drawing and gathering his scattered creation into one in Christ.
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In today's Gospel the Baptist calls Jesus the 'Lamb of God.' This title expresses Jesus' sacrificial character for, in the Old Covenant, a lamb was one of the usual animals of sacrifice. This name also points to Jesus' purity, to his gentle patience and to his humble and loving resignation with which he submitted to the sacrifice of the Cross.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and we leave behind the touching scene of the crib. Jesus has moved from the helpless infant of Bethlehem to a grown man who takes upon himself a tremendous burden and responsibility. The burden is the weight of the sins of humankind. The responsibility is to make reparation for those sins.
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The Pope’s Prayer Intention for January: Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church
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If we want to understand Jesus’ life and mission there is no better place to begin than with the mystery of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The humble home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Nazareth is a fruitful school of the Gospel and a place where Christian virtues are nurtured and thrive. Here we see the outworking of the Divine plan to make the family a community of life and love - the “domestic church” - in which the members of the family are formed in the faith. In this way the Holy Family is a model for every Christian home.
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We see in the Gospels how God fulfils the promises he has made through the people of the Old Covenant, and he does this in a bewildering way. The fulfilment of the promises of old comes through a young Jewish girl who accepts the will of God and the work of his Holy Spirit in her. Her husband, Joseph, is confused about the events surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus but such perplexity is to be expected because God’s ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts and, according to God’s loving purposes, revealed in both the Old and New Testaments, something utterly ‘good’ and utterly ‘new’ is breaking into our world with the birth of Christ
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We see in today’s Gospel how God fulfils the promises he has made through the people of the Old Covenant, and he does this in a bewildering way. The fulfilment of the promises of old comes through a young Jewish girl who accepts the will of God and the work of his Holy Spirit in her. Her husband, Joseph, is confused and perplexed by how is betrothed came to be found with child but he believes God’s word, delivered by the angel of the Lord, and takes his wife to his home.
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In the first reading today we hear some of the loveliest words in Scripture. The prophet Isaiah, setting aside the fear and gloom of the contemporary political situation, looks forward to a Golden Age when God’s salvation will transform every living thing. The barren places of nature will bloom; the weak and the frail will be strong; Jerusalem will be a new centre of creation. And if we listen carefully, we will recognise words used by Handel in his setting of the Messiah - celebrating the God, who comes to us in Jesus, to make all things new.
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The invitation to welcome the God who comes to us in Christ and to cast away empty living is repeated in the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Advent. The Opening Prayer of the Mass asks that no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet Christ. And today we hear the lonely voice of John the Baptist who exhorts us to prepare a way for the Lord. May our faithfulness to the spirit of Advent create a space so that the Lord can come to us.
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As we begin Advent our thoughts are guided, through the liturgy, to the coming of Christ - his first coming to us in humility and weakness and his second coming in majesty and power. The description of the Second Coming of Christ should not fill us with fear, rather we should look forward to it and prepare for it through prayer and right living. So let us resolve to stay close to Christ through our daily prayer. Perhaps praying the rosary daily - even if it is only offering up a decade - and meditating on what Christ wants to say to us in the Gospels. In this way we will learn to discern his voice - calling us to follow him in the way we must walk.
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The feast of Christ the King, which the holy Church throughout the world celebrates today, brings to a close the Church’s liturgical year. Our image of a monarch tends to be of one who lives a privileged life and lords it over others. Christ our King is not like that. He came to serve, not to be served and he wants us to imitate him in his loving service of others. That is why, as St. John of the Cross said: “In the evening of life we shall be examined on love.” If to love and to serve our neighbour is heavenly, hell is the suffering of one who can no longer love.
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The Gospel today speaks of persecution for Christ’s true followers and Jesus makes it clear that in time of trial it is profitable for us to endure this suffering for the sake of Christ. The Lord says: ‘By patient endurance you will win life for yourselves.’ To patient endurance in every trial we suffer, in every affliction, whether this is insolent and contemptuous treatment, humiliations, bodily weakness or the attacks of Satan, or any trial whatsoever caused either by people or by evil spirits, must be added wholehearted thanksgiving, prayer and humility. For, it is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give God thanks, for he disposes all things, good or otherwise, for our benefit.
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In the Gospel today Jesus speaks of the life of the Resurrection and he makes it clear that this is eternal life - a life qualitatively different from our natural life - because ‘the children of the Resurrection’ ‘can no longer die.’ We were made children of the Resurrection through Baptism - when we were baptised in the name of God the Holy Trinity in whose eternal life we now share. It is because we are ‘children of the resurrection’ that we ‘dare’ to call God ‘Our Father’ and it is for this same reason that we are presented, at Baptism, with a candle lit from the Easter candle which represents the light and life of the Resurrected Christ, in whose light and life we share. And being children of the Resurrection, we are also children of God - the God who lives and reigns for ever and ever and we are called to shine as lights in the world to the glory of God, our Father
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We have completed the month of the Holy Rosary. St Dominic, a Catholic, did most in the development and the early spreading of the Rosary, and many Catholic saints since have highly praised the power of this great means of prayer, nevertheless the Rosary is valued and prayed by members of many different Christian traditions, including Lutherans, Methodists and Anglicans. Richard Baumann, a Lutheran, writes: “When the Rosary is said, truth sinks into the subconscious like a slow and steady downpour…It is a long and persevering gaze, a meditation, a quieting of the spirit in praise of God.” J. Neville Ward, a Methodist minister says: “The Rosary has a profound message for our times…It is a message of consolation, Scriptural in its background, and reasonable as well as devotional in its content.” According to the Reverend Ward, the Christian who has a Rosary in his or her hand is within an ancient tradition, for no other scheme of prayer has been so widely used in the Christian West. And the Anglican Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham write in their handbook: “The Rosary is a devotion of which many people are frightened. But it is quite simple and quite sensible; it is like looking at a picture book on our mother’s knee… pictures connected with the Life, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord, are shown to us by His Mother and our Mother, who prays with us and for us.” The Holy Rosary is a sure weapon and protection of true unity in the Church.
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October, the month of the Rosary continues. Through praying the Rosary, we are invited to contemplate the mysteries at the heart of our faith. This leads us to draw closer to Jesus’ life and teaching and helps them to become ever more deeply embedded in our hearts and minds. We can also relate the mysteries of the Rosary to our own lives - applying them to our own spiritual journey and needs. Also, we can name an intention as we pray the Rosary, dedicating our prayer to someone or something - giving thanks to God or exercising love for others by praying for them or asking God’s grace for our own personal needs. If anyone requires instruction on how to pray the Rosary, I will be happy to help.
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In October we find ourselves in the month of the Holy Rosary and so it is fitting, at this time, that we should reflect on the power of the Rosary as a means of prayer and of the important part it can play in our spiritual life. God’s grace comes to us through our praying the Rosary and that is why the saints prayed it faithfully and why Popes have endorsed it through the ages. Our Holy Mother has urged the praying of the Rosary wherever she has appeared in recent times. Surely this should be an encouragement to us to try and pray, at least, a decade of the Rosary daily. To this end, it can be useful to carry a Rosary with us always and to have one beside our beds. If anyone requires instruction on how to pray the Rosary, I will be happy to help
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October is the month of the Rosary - a form of prayer which has been practiced and encouraged by saints and
Popes down through the ages. More importantly it is a prayer that has been urged by Our Blessed Lady herself. Mary
appeared to St Dominic and instructed him to use the Rosary in combating heresy. In the apparitions in Lourdes in 1858,
Our Lady appeared with the Rosary in her hand and recited it together with Bernadette. And in Fatima, in 1917, she
appeared again holding the Rosary and encouraged the faithful to be diligent in praying the Rosary. It was at Fatima that
Mary identified herself as “the Lady of the Rosary” and asked for the “Fatima prayer” to be said after each decade: “O my
Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of your
mercy.”
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Safeguarding
The Parish follows the safeguarding standards advised by The Archdiocese of Birmingham. You can view these standards by following the link here.
A link to the Archdiocese safeguarding website can be found here.
Safespaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church or as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, the Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales. If you have been affected, however long ago, Safe Spaces can provide you with support. You do not have to have told the police or the church authorities, and you do not have to still be involved with the church. Your information will not be shared without your consent unless you or someone else is in immediate danger. To contact Safespaces, please follow the link to their website here.
The Isaiah Journey The Isaiah Journey is a working group of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which has grown out of the need for a pastoral-spiritual response to the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse in the Church. It provides A Guide for Survivors of Abuse that can be found here.
The Safeguarding Rep for our Parish is Monica Green and she can be contacted via email at sg.brg.balsallcommon@rcaob.org.uk.
The Parish follows the safeguarding standards advised by The Archdiocese of Birmingham. You can view these standards by following the link here.
A link to the Archdiocese safeguarding website can be found here.
Safespaces is a free and independent support service, providing a confidential, personal and safe space for anyone who has been abused by someone in the Church or as a result of their relationship with the Church of England, the Catholic Church in England and Wales or the Church in Wales. If you have been affected, however long ago, Safe Spaces can provide you with support. You do not have to have told the police or the church authorities, and you do not have to still be involved with the church. Your information will not be shared without your consent unless you or someone else is in immediate danger. To contact Safespaces, please follow the link to their website here.
The Isaiah Journey The Isaiah Journey is a working group of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales which has grown out of the need for a pastoral-spiritual response to the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse in the Church. It provides A Guide for Survivors of Abuse that can be found here.
The Safeguarding Rep for our Parish is Monica Green and she can be contacted via email at sg.brg.balsallcommon@rcaob.org.uk.
Parish Events
Looking for the rest of the Parish Event List? We have archived the list from our old site but you can still view them here.
Date
| Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 19.03.2026 | 40 Hours Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament | 40 Hours Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will take place at St John the Evangelist, Banbury from Thursday 19th March at 6.30pm through to the 4pm Vigil Mass on Saturday 21st March. This is part of the deanery prayer for vocations |
| 14.03.2026 | One Pot Supper with entertainment | We are holding an evening of food and merriment on Saturday 14th March at 7 pm. The cost is £10 per head. Pam is collecting names / money on Sunday after Mass. Please support this event in aid of Parish funds |
| 07.03.2026 | Churches Together Lent Breakfasts and Talks | These will be held at the Methodist Church each Saturday from 21st February until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am, the talk at 9.00am. BRG will be hosting on 7th March. Please see Louise Perry if you can help |
| 06.03.2026 | World Day of Prayer | This years’ service, prepared by the people of Nigeria, will be held at the Methodist Church on Friday 6th March at 6.30pm and will be followed by light refreshments. Everyone is welcome. |
| 01.03.2026 | March, the month of prayer for vocations | Our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on the First Tuesday after Mass (at BRG) and every Thursday (at SF) during March will be dedicated to this intention |
| 21.02.2026 | Lent Breakfasts | As usual the Methodist Church is the venue for the Churches Together Lenten Breakfast talks. The theme is “Good Books”. These will be each Saturday morning from 21st February until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am (pastries, tea & coffee) donations please. The talk begins at 9.00am. Each church will act as host in turn. Blessed Robert Grissold will be hosting on 7th March. Volunteers welcome |
| 18.02.2026 | Ash Wednesday Mass and imposition of Ashes | Ash Wednesday Mass and imposition of Ashes: 6.30pm on Wednesday 18th February |
| 18.02.2026 | Lent | Let us make every effort to make a good start to the season of Lent and to use this time to renew and deepen our life in Christ. To help us prepare for the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection the following are available during Lent att Blessed Robert Grissold, Balsall Common: Tuesdays 10:00am Mass followed by Stations of the Cross |
| 18.02.2026 | Changes in Lent | In the penitential season of Lent, we do not sing the Gloria, and the Alleluia is dropped from the Gospel Acclamation |
| 17.02.2026 | Churches Together Quiet Mornings | The next Quiet Morning will be on Shrove Tuesday, 17th February, 9.30 am – 12 noon. It will be at St Mary’s Church in Temple Balsall and led by the vicar Debbie Collins. |
| 17.02.2026 | Midweek Mass | Weekday Mass at BRG: 10:00am on Tuesday 17th February |
| 15.02.2026 | Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament | Mass on the First Tuesday of each month will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 11:00am. |
| 15.02.2026 | Second Collection | There will be a second collection today for the LIFE Charity |
| 15.02.2026 | Prayer Tree | All are invited to use our Prayer Tree in the Narthex. Take a tag, date it, write your prayer, and hang it on the tree. Prayers stay on the tree for one month and are shared at prayer group meetings |
| 11.02.2026 | Parish Coffee Morning | The next Parish Coffee morning will be in the Narthex at 10.30am on 11th February with coffee and tea, cakes, scones and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try - you will be made very welcome! |
| 01.02.2026 | Second Collection | There is a second collection next Sunday (1st February) for Racial Justice. |
| 01.02.2026 | Planned Giving | Thank you to everyone who responded to our first Planned Giving event by taking out a new standing order (or increasing an existing standing order) and/or signing up for Gift Aid. If you haven’t yet set up a standing order or Gift Aid and would like to do so, Iain Butlin-Moran will be available in the Narthex for the next few Sundays with forms and details of how to set these up. |
| 01.02.2026 | Choir | Weekly choir practice will start today after mass, working on music for Easter. New members very welcome – no previous choir experience needed! Please speak to Ian or Ellie Clarke if you are interested in joining. |
| 01.02.2026 | Healthcare Volunteers in Lourdes | Are you a doctor, nurse or carer? Would you consider donating your time and expertise on next year’s Lourdes Pilgrimage? Every year sick pilgrims are able to make the journey to Lourdes thanks to the support of a dedicated Healthcare Team. Without their expertise many pilgrims would not be able to go. If you are a healthcare professional and would like to try something new, please consider joining us. You will make a real difference. For more information, and to access the Volunteer Pilgrimage Pack and an application form, please visit https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/lourdes-pilgrimage. |
| 01.02.2026 | Reception of Adults into full Communion with the Church | If any adults are interested in entering into full Communion with the Catholic Church, please contact Fr Frank ASAP as formation will begin shortly |
19.03.2026
40 Hours Adoration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament will take place at St John the Evangelist, Banbury from Thursday 19th March at 6.30pm through to the 4pm Vigil Mass on Saturday 21st March. This is part of the deanery prayer for vocations
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14.03.2026
We are holding an evening of food and merriment on Saturday 14th March at 7 pm. The cost is £10 per head. Pam is collecting names / money on Sunday after Mass. Please support this event in aid of Parish funds
|
07.03.2026
These will be held at the Methodist Church each Saturday from 21st February until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am, the talk at 9.00am. BRG will be hosting on 7th March. Please see Louise Perry if you can help
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06.03.2026
This years’ service, prepared by the people of Nigeria, will be held at the Methodist Church on Friday 6th March at 6.30pm and will be followed by light refreshments. Everyone is welcome.
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01.03.2026
Our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament on the First Tuesday after Mass (at BRG) and every Thursday (at SF) during March will be dedicated to this intention
|
21.02.2026
As usual the Methodist Church is the venue for the Churches Together Lenten Breakfast talks. The theme is “Good Books”. These will be each Saturday morning from 21st February until 21st March, breakfast from 8.45am (pastries, tea & coffee) donations please. The talk begins at 9.00am. Each church will act as host in turn. Blessed Robert Grissold will be hosting on 7th March. Volunteers welcome
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18.02.2026
Ash Wednesday Mass and imposition of Ashes: 6.30pm on Wednesday 18th February
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18.02.2026
Let us make every effort to make a good start to the season of Lent and to use this time to renew and deepen our life in Christ. To help us prepare for the celebration of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection the following are available during Lent att Blessed Robert Grissold, Balsall Common: Tuesdays 10:00am Mass followed by Stations of the Cross
|
18.02.2026
In the penitential season of Lent, we do not sing the Gloria, and the Alleluia is dropped from the Gospel Acclamation
|
17.02.2026
The next Quiet Morning will be on Shrove Tuesday, 17th February, 9.30 am – 12 noon. It will be at St Mary’s Church in Temple Balsall and led by the vicar Debbie Collins.
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17.02.2026
Weekday Mass at BRG: 10:00am on Tuesday 17th February
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15.02.2026
Mass on the First Tuesday of each month will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction at 11:00am.
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15.02.2026
There will be a second collection today for the LIFE Charity
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15.02.2026
All are invited to use our Prayer Tree in the Narthex. Take a tag, date it, write your prayer, and hang it on the tree. Prayers stay on the tree for one month and are shared at prayer group meetings
|
11.02.2026
The next Parish Coffee morning will be in the Narthex at 10.30am on 11th February with coffee and tea, cakes, scones and good conversation. If you haven’t been before, give it a try - you will be made very welcome!
|
01.02.2026
There is a second collection next Sunday (1st February) for Racial Justice.
|
01.02.2026
Thank you to everyone who responded to our first Planned Giving event by taking out a new standing order (or increasing an existing standing order) and/or signing up for Gift Aid. If you haven’t yet set up a standing order or Gift Aid and would like to do so, Iain Butlin-Moran will be available in the Narthex for the next few Sundays with forms and details of how to set these up.
|
01.02.2026
Weekly choir practice will start today after mass, working on music for Easter. New members very welcome – no previous choir experience needed! Please speak to Ian or Ellie Clarke if you are interested in joining.
|
01.02.2026
Are you a doctor, nurse or carer? Would you consider donating your time and expertise on next year’s Lourdes Pilgrimage? Every year sick pilgrims are able to make the journey to Lourdes thanks to the support of a dedicated Healthcare Team. Without their expertise many pilgrims would not be able to go. If you are a healthcare professional and would like to try something new, please consider joining us. You will make a real difference. For more information, and to access the Volunteer Pilgrimage Pack and an application form, please visit https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/lourdes-pilgrimage.
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01.02.2026
If any adults are interested in entering into full Communion with the Catholic Church, please contact Fr Frank ASAP as formation will begin shortly
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Parish Calendar
