Home Newsletters 28th August 2011

28th August 2011

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS

ADORATION & PRAYER BEFORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

TUESDAYS 9.15am to 10.15am & 10.45am to 11.15am

SATURDAY 11am to 12 noon & 5pm to 5.30 pm

MASS ATTENDANCE 21^st August 2011 (previous week) Total 483 (472): 6pm Mass 120 (133) 9am Mass 144 (124), 11am Mass 127 (121),

5pm Mass 92 (94)

OFFERINGS THANK YOU so much for your generous Offerings of £1445.71 for our parish last weekend. There is a wall money box in our Church porch (under the CAFOD notice board) for donations to the African Famine Appeal. Thanks also for the £74.13 put in our CAFOD Box for our CAFOD Parish Project Connect2Rwanda.

TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY OF YEAR A 28^th August 2011

Dear friends,

To follow Jesus we must take up our cross and follow him. This is a hard challenge, and we may think that it is beyond us. And yet ‘the first vocation of the Christian is to follow Jesus’ (Catechism Cath. Church 2232). He tells us: ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it’ (Matt 16:25). Jeremiah understood this very well. Speaking God’s message to the people brought him nothing but insults. But he could not remain silent (Jer 20:7-9). St. Paul urges the Romans not to live like the people around them. Instead they should strive to do the will of God (Rom 12:1-2).

It is in our human nature to treasure the things of this life more than the things of God. But material things cannot bring us long-term satisfaction. No sooner do we give in to a craving for something new – new clothes, a new car – than we are seeing something else that we ‘need’. The world in which we live can make us think we cannot live without such things. God’s way goes against this grain. To gain life we must lose our life. To be filled we must be empty. To gain the world we must lose the world. We can only understand such paradox with the wisdom and light of the Holy Spirit. In fact we need to centre our lives on God, to seek his will on a daily basis. Only in letting go of one’s self and letting God do the guiding can we ever find freedom and happiness.

My Lord, take from me everything that distances me from you, give me everything that brings me closer to you, and detach me from myself to give my all to you.

I am most grateful to God for allowing me again to be with you for this month. Thank you very much for your kindness and friendship. May God’s mercy and love fill your hearts with hope and courage, and strengthen you in following the path of Christ. Fr. Dariusz.

WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK

WE PRAY FOR OUR SICK AT HOME AND IN HOSPITAL:

Bridget Edwards, Dorothy Wheeler, Irene Yarrow, Mary de Souza, Peter Bion, Marie Wheeler, Barbara Flynn, Marie Liddall, Maura Stone, Maeve Walmsley, Bernard Regan, Mavis Reed, Jacques Visser, Denzil Reeves, Elizabeth Smith, Isabel Jasinska, Delia Birch, Aileen Fleetwood, Pam De Keyser, Eileen Beard, Ken Brook, Maureen Travers, Lily Warner, Regina Barnes, Sarah Stewart, Janice Bignall, Ruth Gillespie, Jim & Diane Bowen, Dorothy Robertson, Ann Hurcombe, Miriam Gregory, George Pritchard, Patricia Nicholson, Elsie Jackson, Maureen Phillips, Marlene Hawkins, Isabella Butler, Pauline Wallace, Eileen Molloy, Julie Bouchel, Kirsti Dennett, Julie Halstead, Gertie Walsh, Jill Field, Debbie Dowds, Jean French, Mary Shane, Maureen Tall, Rhona Sullivan, Beryl Barclay, Margaret Sefton, Mary Carr, Mary Keilthy, Kay McCabe, Anne Cannon, Michael Glavin, Tony Wilkinson, Michael Pierce, Erroll Newman, Brian Mardle, Nick Ramsey, John Nolan, Francis Monk, Tommy Campbell, Lyle Wheeler, Jamie Taylor, Bryce Smith. Clergy: Fr John King, Bishop Michael Rowland, Mgr Chris Brooks, Fr Dick Ashton, Rev Warner Pidgeon. Children: Amy Gander, Savannah & Cayde Lewis, Helen Slattery, Mark Selwood, Daisy Locker, John Quilligan & Grace. May the healing power of the Holy Spirit come down upon them.

WE PRAY FOR OUR DECEASED RELATIVES & PARISHIONERS:

MRS FRANCES (JULIA) PRITCHARD RIP, wife of George, who died on Thursday, 18^th August. She will be received into our Church on Wednesday, 6^th September at 4.30pm. Requiem Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, 7^th, at 10am, followed by burial at Great Burstead Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

ANNIVERSARIES: Barbara Beams, Teresa Ellerby, Kathleen Warner, Vincent Bunce, Eileen Wilks & James Patterson. Clergy: Canon John Sloane, Canon John Walsh, Canon, Cyril Shepherd & Fr Bernard Collings.

May they rest in peace and rise in glory, and may the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, console their bereaved families.

NEW TRANSLATION OF THE MASS From next Sunday, 4^th of September, we will use the new revised translation of the Mass. There are some very good Booklets in the Mass, in bookstand in the Church porch. There is also a free booklet & sample Mass sheet prepared by the Brentwood Cathedral priests.

TALKS ON THE CATHOLIC FAITH We invite people who are interested in finding out about our Catholic faith, becoming Catholic or returning to the practice of their faith to a series of talks on Monday from 8.00 to 9.30pm. If you are interested in these talks, which start on September 5^th, please contact Fr John.

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION & RECONCILIATION PREPARATION Application forms to enrol children who will be in School Year 3 and above in September 2011 should now have been returned to the Parish Office.

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS The September rota will be sent out by e-mail this Bank Holiday weekend, with hard copies in the Church porch on Tuesday. Ministers please note that owing to large unavailability again in September we have to ask for additional duties to be undertaken.

PARISH HELP VOLUNTEER GROUP Volunteers meeting will take place on Thursday 8^th September at 8pm in the Lounge of the Pastoral Centre.

OVER 20’s GROUP Meeting for young people, will be at 7.30pm on Thursday, the 8^th September in the upstairs Room 2 on this occasion.

CELEBRATING SACRAMENTS IN A CONSUMERIST CULTURE Inviting all Catechists to an evening with Rev Dr Niall Coll at the Cathedral Conference Centre on Thursday 29^th September 7.30pm-9.30pm. Advance booking essential. Contact the Adult Rel. Education office on 01277 265255 or Sr Nuala on 01277 265219 email are&fm@dioceseofbrentwood.org. Primary school Head teachers RE Co-ordinators, Secondary Heads of RE and Chaplains are invited to a session with Fr Coll on the morning of Friday 30^th 9.15am-12.30pm at the Cathedral Conference Centre. For booking, please contact the BRES secretary email marycronin@dioceseofbrentwood.org or 01277 265285.

HEALING MASS will be celebrated at Abbotswick at 2.30pm on Wednesday, 7^th September, by Fr Eamonn Power. For more details call 01277 373959.

A STUDY DAY OF MUSIC (O Mater Dei) by 16^th & 17^th Century composers at Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead – Saturday 24^th September 10.30am-4pm. Cost £15 (students £7.50) Pictures of Our Lady inspired composers to write some of their finest music and this will be explained by Dr David Allinson in what should be a most enjoyable day. Dr Allinson is a freelance performer, scholar and teacher and he specialises in the history and performance of Renaissance choral music. Visit website wqww.davidallinson.com. Booking form from Shirley Timmins 01277 219944 or 01277 233302 email: picturesque@tiscali.co.uk