Please Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Mgr Canon David Donnelly, Canon Charles Kuypers, Fr Gilbert Basil Pearson, Fr Neville Banks,Fr Kenneth Green, Fr John Meehan, Bp Bernard Ward, Fr Christopher Quirke, Mary Ann Foley,Elsie Nicol, Nancy Hume, Annie Shea, Gordon Wallen, Brigid connolly, Violet Read, Gabriel Craven, Patrick Connolly, Brenda Campbell, Germaine Cave-Palmer, Renee Warburton, Mrs Breeda Hayes, Robert Garson-Gratidge, Bridget Kelly, Maud Reddy, Catherine Woods, Eugene Regan,Anne Ryan, Bernard Leonard, John Dillon, Ilene Axson, Dora Arnott, Teresa Moule,Courtney Choat-Kelly, Kathleen Goddard, Hubert Connolly, Jimmy Baker, Catherine Morris & Frances Emmerson.
May their Souls & the Souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace.
Counters & Folders
Counters: Mary Cook & Jacky Hoggett
Newsletter Folders: Tom O’Callaghan & Rita O’Callaghan
Coffee morning and concert
Saturday 4th February 2017 at 11am, St Clement’s Church, Leigh Broadway. A Mini Recital given by Elizabeth Upsher. 30 minutes of beautiful songs performed for you followed by coffee and cake. No need to book (Entrance Free)!! All proceeds from the Bring and Buy Sale go to support the Women’s World Day of Prayer service and grants given to National and International charities.
Flame Congress
SSE Wembley Arena
Saturday March 11th 2017
Travel with the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service to the largest Catholic youth event in the country! Open to all aged 15-23, this Congress includes music by Grammy Award winner Matt Redman, talks from the Cardinal Archbishop of Myanmar (Burma), experiences shared by young people who have worked in refugee camps in Jordan, conversation with Fr Augusto Zampini, who was once a parish priest in the slums of Buenos Aires and now works very closely with Pope Francis, and input from Sarah Teather, once an MP and now head of the Jesuit Refugee Service. The day also includes music, dance and drama, as well as times of reflection and prayer and lots of activities in the break times. It is an amazing day, it only happens once every two years, and tickets are limited. Travel on your own or with friends, and we will meet you at Liverpool Street or Fenchurch Street station. Cost just £15, plus your train fare. Book now by emailing gabriellafusi@dioceseofbrentwood.org or calling Gabby on 01268 515970.
Charity Collection
HARP the Homeless Charity of Southend require some help for a charity collection taking place in Tesco Southend on the A127 on the weekend of 4th & 5th February between the hours of 10 and 4pm. If you could spare an hour or two to raise vital funds for HARP your help would be really appreciated. Please contact Lisa Walton, Community Fundraiser at HARP on 01702 415834 or lisa.walton@harpsouthend.org.uk for further information. Thank you.
Parish & Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes
Monday 24th-Friday 28th July 2017
Four nights (full board) travelling with British Airways via Toulouse and staying at the Grand Hotel Moderne Soubirous will cost £565. Please indicate your interest by putting your name on the list in the Parish Office.
Carmelite Meeting
The next Carmelite meeting is on Saturday, 28th January. We have a quiet time in the Church at 2pm followed by the Rosary at 2.15pm. We then go to the Parish Centre Newman Room for the meeting. This commences with a cup of tea, talk about our spiritual growth and how we can help one another spiritually, we then have Lectio divina, the meeting usually finishes by 5pm. All parishioners are welcome for all or part of the meeting, why don't you come and see what we do?
Serving the Homeless
Our next two events, both on 29th January, are a second collection, for Homelessness Sunday and a 3 course Sunday lunch at 12.30pm at ‘Affinity’. Tickets for this are £20. Telephone Theresa, 335122, Linda, 558217 or Jo 474062. Thank you for your continuing support for this work.
Jo Ronan, Chair, Serving the Homeless
Talk by Jim McEvoy, Street Pastor
On Monday 23rd January at 2.15pm Jim McEvoy has been invited to give a talk on his work as a Street Pastor. People like Jim are trained volunteers from local Churches who can be seen around the Town and the Seafront most Fridays and Saturdays, helping people in a variety of different ways. The Catholic Women's League extend a very warm welcome to any Parishioners who would like to meet Jim and enjoy what promises to be a very interesting talk. Refreshments are available and admission is free.
New Director for Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society
Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society is looking for a new Director. This Charity achieves so much for children and young people and their families across the Brentwood Diocese and the right person will find the role of leading bccs to be most rewarding. This Catholic Charity is based on strong foundations of Catholic Social Teaching that enable us to help children of all faiths and none.
If you would like to be considered as the next Director of bccs please ask the current Director for an Application Pack by emailing Steven at swebb@bccs.org.uk
If you know someone else who might be interested please pass on this message to them. The closing date for applications is Friday 3rd February (noon).
Collection for The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children - SPUC
Thank you for your very generous donations to SPUC last weekend, totalling £409.74.
Scripture Group
Fr Con Joyce’s Scripture Group will next meet in the Parish Centre 8pm-9pm on Thursday,
19th January. Fr. Con will be talking about the prophets. All welcome.
The Brentwood Catholic Children's Society
The Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society is hosting a Charity Quiz Night on Saturday 25th February at the Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School. The format for the event will be teams of 8 people at a cost of £7.50 per person, with all funds raised going to bccs. The evening will start promptly at 7pm, with a short break halfway through and finish around 10pm; you are invited to bring your own drinks and nibbles. Please contact Julie Abbot– jabbott@bccs.org.uk 01268 784544 / 07912277413 to book your places (all teams must be pre-booked) or to request a Fundraising Quiz Pack for running your own quiz night in your parish for Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society.
New Altar Servers Required
Any child who has received First Communion and would like to become an
Altar server please contact the Parish Office on 478078 or leave your name and telephone number via the Parish Website.
ABC - About being a Catholic
The series of informal talks designed to give an insight into the teachings and traditions of the Catholic church continues every Monday, starting at 8pm in the Parish Centre. 16th January: The Fall & Baptism. You are welcome to attend some or all of these talks; if you would like more information please speak to Fr Kevin or telephone Pat O’Connell on 712123.
The Epiphany of the Lord
Dear Friends in Christ
On this Day the Wise Men, or Magi, come to see the Infant Christ. We see in this encounter the first time that Jesus is made manifest to the world. His birth in Bethlehem was hidden; the shepherds came in innocence and simplicity to visit Him with perhaps only the slightest inkling of the significance of His birth. Now the Magi arrive fully aware that the Child before them is the Son of God, the Saviour of Mankind. As we visit the scene of the house of Bethlehem again this Day we, also join with them, in adoring Christ born for us.
Dear Friends in Christ
On this Day the Wise Men, or Magi, come to see the Infant Christ. We see in this encounter the first time that Jesus is made manifest to the world. His birth in Bethlehem was hidden; the shepherds came in innocence and simplicity to visit Him with perhaps only the slightest inkling of the significance of His birth. Now the Magi arrive fully aware that the Child before them is the Son of God, the Saviour of Mankind. As we visit the scene of the house of Bethlehem again this Day we, also join with them, in adoring Christ born for us.
Last Sunday in his Pastoral Letter, our Bishop reminded us that we are commencing the Centenary Year of the Diocese. I have outlined the main events of this Year in this Newsletter and they are detailed in the current edition of the Brentwood Diocesan Directory. The Bishop is asking us to make this Year one of celebration but also of evangelisation: to take our Faith to the margins, generously, courageously and enthusiastically, in the knowledge that the world is in as much need as ever, of the Truth that our Catholic Faith brings. You might make a particular note of the date 22nd July when the whole Diocese will go on pilgrimage to Walsingham for the main celebration of this Centenary Year.
With every renewed blessing for 2017!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org
January Week I
The Epiphany of the Lord
Saturday 7
5.30pm Vigil Mass Essie Glauda, Deceased, Anniversary
6.30 Exposition & Confession
Sunday 8
8am Mass Deceased members of the Martin Family
9.30 Mass Claire Mellish, Deceased, Anniversary
11.30 Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Blessing of Babies & Benediction
The Baptism of the Lord
Monday 9
9am Mass Marcia Clarke, Deceased
9.30 Rosary
Weekday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday 10
9am Mass Intentions of the O‘Malley Family
9.30 Rosary
Weekday in Ordinary Time
Wednesday 11
9am Mass John & Hannah Tyner, Deceased, Anniversary
9.30 Rosary
Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, Abbot
Thursday 12
9am Mass Intentions of Mary Cook
9.30 Rosary
Saint Hilary, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
Friday 13
12noon Mass Tim McCarthy, Deceased, Anniversary
12.30pm Rosary
Our Lady on Saturday
Saturday 14
10am Mass Patrick Farrell, Deceased, Anniversary
10.30 Exposition & Confession
Dates for your Diary
11th February Start of the Diocesan Centenary year celebrations
Feast of our Lady of Lourdes - Mass 12 Noon, followed by Parish lunch in parish Centre
22nd March Centenary Mass at Brentwood Cathedral
Saturday 6th & 13th May First Holy Communion Masses- 10.30am
Saturday 22nd July Walsingham Centenary Pilgrimage
24th September to 1st October Parish mission
Monday 24th/Friday 28th July Parish Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes