| Letter from Fr Mark McManus 26th November |
| Dear Parishioners of St Joseph's & St Charles, |
| This week our Masses will be:
Saturday, 27 November, at 5:00pm
Sunday, 28 November, at 8:45am & 10:00am Monday, 29 November, at 10:00am Tuesday, 30 November, at 10:00am Friday, 3 December, at 10:00am As we enter the winter season I kindly remind you to wrap up warm in church.
Face coverings are strongly encouraged. You MUST NOT come to church if: You are unwell or somebody in your household has coronavirus symptoms, for example a cough or high temperature. During Advent
There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Benediction on the Saturdays of Advent, 27 November, 4, 11 & 18 December from 9.30 to 10.30am. Why not come and spend some quiet time with the Lord?
Piety Stall 2022 Missals & Christmas Cards
The Piety Stall has Christmas cards and other items and is open after the Saturday vigil Mass and from 9:15am to 9:55am on Sundays, i.e. between the morning Masses.
A reverse Advent Calendar for St Wilfrid's Centre 2021
Give rather than receive each day in Advent. All you need to do is: 1. Buy a bag for life 2. Add an item into the bag from the list below each day in December 3. Deliver the bag to St Wilfrid's after 4 January when they reopen or at the church on the weekend of 1 & 2 January - but not before please (any volunteers please to help deliver them?).
Bearing in mind the centre has a 7 to 3 ratio of male to female clients and that items are used throughout the year, things that are needed include: Toiletries: Soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, deodorant, incl. toothbrushes, combs, hairbrushes, Clothing, incl. Men's underwear and Women's underwear - all sizes, hats, gloves, scarves, Food: boxes/tins of individually wrapped chocolates. Other items useful throughout the year include: tinned meat (esp. ham), fish (esp. tuna), casseroles, stewing steak, tinned vegetables: potatoes, peas & carrots, tomatoes, tinned rice pudding & custard, jars of pickles, Drinks: cordials, hot chocolate, Store cupboard items: brown sauce, salad cream (not glass), pot noodles & cup-a-soups. For more info: tel. 255 5720 or helen@stwilfridscentre.org or download their Advent Calendar for daily suggestions at www.stwilfridscentre.org The Christmas Masses at St Joseph's Church Christmas Eve 4:30pm - Vigil Mass Christmas Eve 7:00pm - Mass during the Night Christmas Day 8:45am - Mass at Dawn Christmas Day 10:00am - Mass during the Day N.B. As permitted, the Gospel used at all the Masses will be from the 'Mass during the Night', i.e. the Nativity of the Lord. Registration for First Holy Communion 2022
Registration for the Sacrament of Confirmation 2022
All applications should be received and completed by this Sunday, 28 November.
November Memorial Dead List 2021 - 2022
If you would like to enrol a loved one on the list so that they will be included in these Masses please, write the names of your deceased family, friends and benefactors, and put it, together with your offering, into the offerings box in the church before the end of the month. Alternatively, you can hand it to me or e-mail me the details also.
St Joseph's Cemetery Maintenance Fund
We kindly ask in November, the month of the Holy Souls, for those with family and friends in St Joseph's cemetery, to make a contribution towards the cost of the upkeep. Thank you for your continuing support and particular thanks to those dedicated parishioners who give of their time and labour to care for our hallowed ground.
Honouring Sunday
During the pandemic, public worship was suspended for a time and there have been restrictions on parish life. The Bishops of England and Wales issued a statement last week about the importance of honouring Sunday. It includes the following:
'The Sunday Eucharist is a gift; as God's holy people we are called to praise and thank God in the most sublime way possible. When the Church speaks of the Sunday obligation, it reminds us that attending Mass is a personal response to the selfless offering of Christ's love. At this time, we recognise that for some people there may be certain factors which hinder attendance at Sunday Mass. The pandemic is clearly not over. The risk of infection is still present. For some, there is legitimate fear in gathering together. As your bishops, we recognise that these prevailing circumstances suggest that not everyone is yet in the position to fulfil the absolute duty to attend freely Sunday Mass. We now encourage all Catholics to look again at the patterns which they have formed in recent months with regard to going to Mass on Sundays. This would include consideration and reflection about what we might do on Sundays, such as sports or shopping, or other leisure and social activities. This review, and the decisions which arise from it, fall to every Catholic and we trust this will be done with honesty, motivated by a real love for the Lord whom we encounter in the Mass. The Sunday Mass is the very heartbeat of the Church and of our personal life of faith. We gather on the "first day of the week," and devote ourselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). The Eucharist sustains us and spurs us on, renewing our gratitude and our hope. When we say "Amen" to Christ in receiving his Body and Blood, we express the love of God which is deep within us, and at the end of Mass, when we are sent forth, we express our love for our neighbour, especially those in need. These two dimensions reveal the full meaning of our faith. We are gathered together and sent out, we pray and are fed, we worship and we adore; these are intrinsic to our lives as those baptised into Christ.' Parking on Sundays
Please be aware that parking outside St Joseph's School (in the zig-zag zone) is not permitted at any time and you could face a penalty if you park there. Apparently, the school has been informed that there have been some complaints from neighbours regarding parking there on Sunday mornings.
Finally, this week's newsletter is here. Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us. St Joseph, pray for us. St Charles Borromeo, pray for us. With my prayers, Rev. Mark McManus Parish Priest |