Confession
Weekly Collections
Synod A two-year 'synodal' process is taking place in the Catholic Church from now until it culminates in the final Synod Gathering of Bishops in Rome in October 2023. The overall theme is "For a Synodal Church: i.e. Communion, Participation, Mission". For more Information go to (https://bit.ly/3zXt4gx) https://bit.ly/2Tt6ope
Letter from Father Anthony
01952 811299
Dear Parishioner,
I do hope you and your family are well in these challenging times. Please do contact us if the parish can be of any assistance. I write with some Important information for our community.
SUNDAY MASS TIMES
The Bishops of England and Wales invite us all to return to the regular practice of attending mass each Sunday which is at the heart of our faith and love for God. The Sunday mass obligation is to be re-introduced from the First Sunday of Advent, November 28th, 2021.
There will be a Saturday evening mass recommencing on that date, but at the earlier time of 5.30pm (for an experimental period to see how attendance goes, since we have had much reduced numbers to date like all parishes). Mass on Sunday morning, 9.15am, as usual.
COVID SECURE as best we can. Hand sanitising upon entry, face masks are desirable, social distancing as far as practical.
PARISH FINANCE
Last Sunday I spoke about something that affects us all and that is stewardship of our parish giving and spending. At the end of the last tax year 2021, the yield from the Sunday Collection had fallen by £10,000, and on present figures is set to continue in the present tax year. A reduction of £20,000 over 2 years is quite a big hit to our parish finances because the outgoings remain the same. In the last tax year, it cost basically £30,000 to keep the church door open, as they say. Income was basically the same. In the previous tax year ended 2020, expenditure was significantly higher, but so was income. In that year, to provide some examples, property maintenance cost £10,660, insurance £1850, Diocesan Assessment £5427.It does cost much more to run a parish than we might imagine and every parish has to pay its own way.
A BIG THANK YOU to all our parishioners for your generosity in supporting the parish financially in the collection and in Our Mission Together (OMT). Without your support we could not pay our way.
I know this is a challenge, and of course everybody’s circumstances are different, but if 40 households could possibly increase the collection giving by £5 per household, that would at least return our income to the pre-pandemic level. Our giving is not just to cover expenses. We have an incredibly generous God and our generosity is an expression of gratitude for God’s abundant gifts to us. It is,
“My gift to God and His Church”
WHAT WOULD HELP?
Standing Orders do help keep up the weekly collection (an SO Form is enclosed, if you would like to consider one. Please return to your bank).
Gift Aid enables increases giving considerably without any extra giving
£5 Gift Aid tuns into £6.25 without any extra giving. £10 into £12.50. (This is the government’s scheme to help charities by returning tax paid on the amount given. A ‘one off amount’ can also be gift aided) All that is required is to have paid enough tax for the reclaim. To gift aid £5 requires that the donor has paid £65 in income tax. (Form enclosed)
Using the Offertory Envelopes
We do have a beautiful church, a valuable resource in the Hall and a patrimony handed down to us. Let’s be good stewards of what we have been given.
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Date |
Time |
Service |
Intention |
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Sunday 16 January Psalter week 2 |
Mass 9.15 |
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Day of Prayer for World Peace |
Sr Agnes Flemming |
|
Monday 17 January |
Mass 10.00 |
St Anthony |
Special Intention |
|
Tuesday 18 January |
Mass 10.00 |
|
For Christian Unity |
|
Wednesday 19 January |
Mass 10.00 |
St Wulstan |
DRF O’Neill & Lockett |
|
Thursday 20 January |
|
St Fabian, St Sebastian |
|
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Friday 21 January |
Mass 10.00 |
St Agnes |
Eilish Hilliard |
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Saturday 22 January |
Mass 5.30 |
St Vincent |
Parishioners |
|
Sunday 23 January |
Mass 9.15 |
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Day of Prayer for Openness to the Word of God |
Patrick Monaghan |
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity runs from Tuesday18th to Tuesday 25th January inclusive. Resources for the octave have been prepared by the churches in the Middle East under the title, 'We saw his star in the East.' Download the material from THIS WEBPAGE
Today is Peace Sunday and this year Pope Francis asks us to think about ‘Education, work and dialogue between generations: tools for building lasting peace’. The need for peace in the world is obvious. People are struggling against violence and conflict, growing inequalities, the effects of climate change and the covid pandemic. How can we harness the gifts and energy of all generations in the work of peace making? Which ‘tools for building lasting peace’ do you think Pope Francis might be talking about? In this country we have an active Catholic peace movement in Pax Christi, which does a great deal of good work to promote peace and nonviolence through parishes, schools and social media. Their website suggests many ways we can all become better peacemakers. https://www.paxchristi.com Pax Christi needs our support to keep going, to make a donation, link: https://tinyurl.com/yxfcw67x
Gospel John 2:1-11 Extract 'My hour has not come yet' - 'Do whatever he tells you' There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited. When they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the wedding was all finished, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ Jesus said ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’, and they filled them to the brim. ‘Draw some out now’ he told them ‘and take it to the steward.’ They did this; the steward tasted the water, and it had turned into wine. The steward called the bridegroom and said, ‘People generally serve the best wine first, and keep the cheaper sort till the guests have had plenty to drink; but you have kept the best wine till now. ’This was the first of the signs given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. He let his glory be seen, and his disciples believed in him.
Commentary Year C is the year of Luke’s gospel, but we start with this reading from John, the symbolic beginning of Jesus’ ministry. It is full of riches. It is impossible not to see this ‘sign’ as John calls it, as a sign of that final wedding-feast of God and his people. Furthermore, in Jewish thought water represents the Law: in an arid land water is the sign of life and is precious – just as the Law of God is precious and gives life. Jesus transforms this water of the Law into the wine of the New Covenant – and in such generous quantities, over one hundred gallons of wine! Then there is Mary’s part: Jesus says his Hour has not yet come, but Mary’s confident plea is a reminder to us of the power of her intercession. She will be mentioned no more in this gospel until she is present at the Cross, sharing the passion of her Son and joined to the Beloved Disciple John to form the first Christian community. Henry Wansborough OSB
Saint of the Week St Anthony, Abbot 251 – 356 Anthony was born in Egypt: when his parents died, he listened to the words of the Gospel and gave all his belongings to the poor. At about the age of 35, he went out into the wilderness to begin a life of penitence, living in absolute poverty, praying, meditating, and supporting himself by manual work. He is held to be the originator of the monastic life, not as the first to live a reclusive life, but because a community of hermits soon formed around him. He suffered many temptations, both physical and spiritual (boredom, demons, wild beasts, phantoms) but he overcame them. Disciples gathered round him, attracted by his wisdom, moderation, and holiness. He gave support to the victims of the persecutions of Diocletian, and helped St Athanasius (who later wrote his biography) in his fight against the Arians. He lived to be over 100, dying in 356, said to be never sick.
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