First Sunday of Lent

Year A
First Reading Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
Second Reading Romans 5:12-19
Gospel Matthew 4:1-11
Preface of the First Sunday of Lent
Eucharistic Prayer 3
The Apostles’ Creed
Mass book page 151

Saturday 8th March
5.30pm Vigil Mass Guy Bragard, RIP (anniv)
6.30pm Exposition and Penance

Sunday 9th March
8.00am Mass Sam Matkin, RIP
9.30am Mass Ints O'Doherty Family 
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
4.00pm Polish Mass
5.30pm  Vespers & Benediction

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear friends in Christ

This Wednesday we shall again begin the holy season of Lent. It is a time of loving and of giving. This applies to our love of God and neighbour by which we try to love Him more by seeing Him in the face of our neighbour. The sole object of Lent is to purify our lives that we may arrive at Easter with an increase of charity, and thereby be ready, in the words of the hymn, to celebrate the eternal Eastertide.

As in previous years, I would like to offer us the opportunities to enter into the spirit of Lent by availing ourselves of one or other of the spiritual exercises we have. Lent isn’t a time for piling one devotion or good deed upon another; it is better that we try to fulfil one thing well than do several acts half-heartedly. You can find the details of the Lenten programme outlined in the pages of the Newsletter each week. All God is asking of us is that we be generous with Him and with each other.

There are several specific helps to our spirituality which I would like to highlight: firstly the weekly Evenings of Recollection in Nazareth House each Thursday; this year the theme of the evenings focuses on the holiness of the Saints. Secondly the excellent little resource of Fr Robert Barron - author of the Catholicism Project - which can be subscribed to for a daily Lenten reflection: wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/February-2014/How-to-Share-Fr-Barrons-Lent-Reflections.aspx

Thirdly, next weekend I have invited Dr Charlie O’Donnell to the Parish to promote and sell a small booklet about the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith. It explains in ten steps why we are Catholics and how we can explain our Faith to others with confidence. It costs £1.99 and the profits all go to WONDER which is a Catholic Charity which helps vulnerable women around the world.

I hope that with these small helps to our interior lives we can spend the Forty Days of Lent as a time of loving service of God and neighbour through sincere prayer, penance and conversion.

May God bless you!

Fr Kevin Hale

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear friends in Christ

This Wednesday we shall again begin the holy season of Lent. It is a time of loving and of giving. This applies to our love of God and neighbour by which we try to love Him more by seeing Him in the face of our neighbour. The sole object of Lent is to purify our lives that we may arrive at Easter with an increase of charity, and thereby be ready, in the words of the hymn, to celebrate the eternal Eastertide.

As in previous years, I would like to offer us the opportunities to enter into the spirit of Lent by availing ourselves of one or other of the spiritual exercises we have. Lent isn’t a time for piling one devotion or good deed upon another; it is better that we try to fulfil one thing well than do several acts half-heartedly. You can find the details of the Lenten programme outlined in the pages of the Newsletter each week. All God is asking of us is that we be generous with Him and with each other.

There are several specific helps to our spirituality which I would like to highlight: firstly the weekly Evenings of Recollection in Nazareth House each Thursday; this year the theme of the evenings focuses on the holiness of the Saints. Secondly the excellent little resource of Fr Robert Barron - author of the Catholicism Project - which can be subscribed to for a daily Lenten reflection: wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/February-2014/How-to-Share-Fr-Barrons-Lent-Reflections.aspx

Thirdly, next weekend I have invited Dr Charlie O’Donnell to the Parish to promote and sell a small booklet about the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith. It explains in ten steps why we are Catholics and how we can explain our Faith to others with confidence. It costs £1.99 and the profits all go to WONDER which is a Catholic Charity which helps vulnerable women around the world.

I hope that with these small helps to our interior lives we can spend the Forty Days of Lent as a time of loving service of God and neighbour through sincere prayer, penance and conversion.

May God bless you!

Fr Kevin Hale

Year 2, Psalter week 4

Monday 3rd Feria
9.15am Mass Marie O'Donovan RIP

Tuesday 4th St Casimir
9.15am Mass Alma O’Brien RIP (Anniv)

Wednesday 5th Ash Wednesday
9.15am Mass Tony Conlon RIP (Anniv)
12.00pm Mass Neil O’Keefe RIP
8.00pm Mass Holy Souls

Thursday 6th Feria
9.15am Mass Mark Kelly, RIP

Friday 7th Feria
6.30am Thomas Cook RIP
12.00pm CWL Intentions
12.30pm Exposition after Mass until
8.00pm Holy Hour & Benediction

Saturday 8th March Feria
10.00am Mass Terence, Maisie & Eugene Renehan RIP Anniversary
10.30am Exposition and Penance

Confession – the Sacrament of Penance – is also available on request
Holy Rosary is said after morning Mass during the week

Evenings of Recollection for Lent 2014

THE CALL TO HOLINESS

Thursday 13^th March

Fr Kevin Hale, Parish Priest, Our Lady of Lourdes, Leigh-on-Sea

Blessed Pope John XXIII

Thursday 20^th March

Fr Gerard Skinner, Parish Priest, St Francis of Assisi, Notting Hill

Our Glorious English Martyrs

Thursday 27^th March

Fr Terry Martin, Vocations Director, Diocese of Arundel & Brighton

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Thursday 3^rd April

Fr John Udris, Spiritual Director, St Mary’s Seminary, Oscott

The Cause of G K Chesterton

Each evening begins at 8.00pm and includes a talk/meditation followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Office of Night Prayer and              Benediction.

Priests will be available for Confession each evening

There will also be refreshments afterwards in the hall with a bookstall.

Evenings of Recollection for Lent 2014

THE CALL TO HOLINESS

Thursday 13^th March

Fr Kevin Hale, Parish Priest, Our Lady of Lourdes, Leigh-on-Sea

Blessed Pope John XXIII

Thursday 20^th March

Fr Gerard Skinner, Parish Priest, St Francis of Assisi, Notting Hill

Our Glorious English Martyrs

Thursday 27^th March

Fr Terry Martin, Vocations Director, Diocese of Arundel & Brighton

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Thursday 3^rd April

Fr John Udris, Spiritual Director, St Mary’s Seminary, Oscott

The Cause of G K Chesterton

Each evening begins at 8.00pm and includes a talk/meditation followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Office of Night Prayer and              Benediction.

Priests will be available for Confession each evening

There will also be refreshments afterwards in the hall with a bookstall.

Gift Aid

New boxes of envelopes for those in the Gift Aid Scheme will be available for collection on the weekends of 15th/16th and 22nd/23rd March.

Serving The Homeless

A huge thank you to parishioners for your generosity on Homelessness Sunday, also for the money donated in the box at the back of the church. This money will be used to support HARP and the YMCA over the coming months.

Lenten Evenings

Jim and Fran McEvoy have decided to explore the document Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) from Pope Francis as a Lenten project. If you are interested, please come and join us at 25 Fairmead Avenue, Westcliff, on Tuesday evenings March 11th, 18th, 25th and April 1st from 7.30-9.00pm.  All are welcome.  Phone: 01702 330178 or franmcevoy at hotmail.com.

Money Matters

Thank you for the generous offerings received last weekend, which amounted to £1244.72

Counters are Toni Cousins, Sandi Hippard & Leah Cousins.

Newsletter Folders are Pauline Jordan & Maureen Ward .

Money Matters

Thank you for the generous offerings received last weekend, which amounted to £1244.72

Counters are Toni Cousins, Sandi Hippard & Leah Cousins.

Newsletter Folders are Pauline Jordan & Maureen Ward .

Nazareth House

A Coffee Morning will be held at Nazareth House, 111 London Road, Southend on Sea on Saturday 15th March starting at 10.30 am.  Admission is free and will be run by the Friends of Nazareth House.

Sanctuary Lamp

This week the lamp burns for the intentions of the Wall family.

We pray for the departed on their anniversaries

Mgr Canon Patrick O’Donnell, Fr Brian Galvin, Fr Francis Hastings, Fr Malachy Kelly, Canon Joseph Whitfield, Miss A Till, Amy Wood, Margaret Blissett, Catherine Burne, Ruby Ravinet, Giovanni Puglisi, Patricia McBreaty, Patricia Sellers, Hugh Gallacher, Maria Varden Heuval, Patricia Church, Margaret Ellis, May Perkins, Esperanza Reyes, Bernard McCarthy, Ena Bartley, Mary Smith, Doris Conner, Danielle Sutherland, Sandra McGran, Philip Thomas, Anthony Conlon, Granley Rumsey, John Burke, Elsie Killman, Miss Sydney Compton, Edward Baigent, Teresa Rumsey, Henry Delaney, John Button, Constance Ryan, Joyce Quinn & Pamela Jones.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Year A 
First reading Isaiah 49:14-15 
Second reading Corinthians 4:1-5 
Gospel Matthew 6:24-34 
Preface of Sunday 6

The Roman Canon
Mass Book page 142

Saturday 1st March

5.30pm Vigil Mass Margaret Keaney, RIP
6.30pm Exposition and Penance

Sunday 2nd March
8.00am Mass Tim & Betty O'Leary, RIP
9.30am Mass The People of the Parish
11.30am Mass Andrzej Sasiadek, RIP
1.30pm Polish Mass
4.00pm Mass in Extraordinary Form Pat & John Moon, Valerie Griggs, RIP
5.30pm  Vespers & Benediction

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear friends in Christ

The Christian Faith teaches us charity towards every single person without exception.  It is a charity extended especially to those who ill-treat us since the way of the disciple follows that of the Master.  However, this obligation is, in the first instance, towards those who are closest to us: our family and friends.   We have a duty to those we live and work with to show them the face of Christ.  Charity is above all expressed by our readiness to pray for others, that they may be moved by divine inspiration to be conformed to the mind of Christ.   As Christians we can never rest until we have made Jesus better known and loved, even by those who remain closed to Him.  The Gospel of this Sunday again impresses upon us the need for this continual work of extending the hand of Jesus Christ to everyone without exception.

This weekend nineteen Bishops - including Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster - are raised to the dignity of Cardinal by Pope Francis.  A Cardinal (form the Latin word for a hinge) is one of the closest collaborators of the Holy Father and they have the task of electing a new successor on the death of the Pope.  Their robes are red to signify their willingness to lay-down their lives - usque ad sanguinem - for the person of the Pope.   The newly created Cardinals come from each of the five Continents which expresses the geographical and cultural diversity of the Church but which is always one in Faith.  This Faith was first professed by St Peter, the Rock on which the Church is founded.  We pray that the new members of the College of Cardinals will help and support our Holy Father, Pope Francis, in the enormity of the task him: to confirm the Faith of all of Christ followers.

God bless you!

Fr Kevin Hale

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear friends in Christ

The Christian Faith teaches us charity towards every single person without exception.  It is a charity extended especially to those who ill-treat us since the way of the disciple follows that of the Master.  However, this obligation is, in the first instance, towards those who are closest to us: our family and friends.   We have a duty to those we live and work with to show them the face of Christ.  Charity is above all expressed by our readiness to pray for others, that they may be moved by divine inspiration to be conformed to the mind of Christ.   As Christians we can never rest until we have made Jesus better known and loved, even by those who remain closed to Him.  The Gospel of this Sunday again impresses upon us the need for this continual work of extending the hand of Jesus Christ to everyone without exception.

This weekend nineteen Bishops - including Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster - are raised to the dignity of Cardinal by Pope Francis.  A Cardinal (form the Latin word for a hinge) is one of the closest collaborators of the Holy Father and they have the task of electing a new successor on the death of the Pope.  Their robes are red to signify their willingness to lay-down their lives - usque ad sanguinem - for the person of the Pope.   The newly created Cardinals come from each of the five Continents which expresses the geographical and cultural diversity of the Church but which is always one in Faith.  This Faith was first professed by St Peter, the Rock on which the Church is founded.  We pray that the new members of the College of Cardinals will help and support our Holy Father, Pope Francis, in the enormity of the task him: to confirm the Faith of all of Christ followers.

God bless you!

Fr Kevin Hale

Year 2, Psalter week 3

Monday 24th

9.15am Mass Mary Boyle RIP

Tuesday 25th
9.15am Mass Sheila O'Brien RIP
5.00pm Reception into the Church Neil O'Keefe RIP 

Wednesday 26th
9.15am Mass Christopher Adams RIP
12.00pm Requiem Mass Neil O'Keefe RIP

Thursday 27th
9.15am Mass Intentions of Bill Hennebry

Friday 28th
12.00pm John & Hannah Tyner RIP

Saturday 1st March St David, Bishop, Patron of Wales
10.00am Mass Bill Hoggett RIP Anniversary
10.30am Exposition and Penance

Confession – the Sacrament of Penance – is also available on request
Holy Rosary is said after morning Mass during the week

Pray for the repose of the soul of Neil O'Keefe

Pray for the repose of the soul of Neil O’Keefe, who died on Wednesday, 18th February. His Body will be received into the Church on Tuesday 25th February at 5pm. His Requiem Mass will take place on Wednesday 26th February at 12 noon, followed by committal at Sutton Road Cemetery.

Pray for the repose of the soul of Neil O'Keefe

Pray for the repose of the soul of Neil O’Keefe, who died on Wednesday, 18th February. His Body will be received into the Church on Tuesday 25th February at 5pm. His Requiem Mass will take place on Wednesday 26th February at 12 noon, followed by committal at Sutton Road Cemetery.