Ascension Day
A great feast which brings to an end the days after the Resurrection which Jesus spent with His Apostles
Tomorrow is Ascension Day, a great feast which brings to an end the days after the Resurrection which Jesus spent with His Apostles. To prepare us for this great Solemnity, here are some words from a Sermon of Pope St Leo the Great (Pope 440-461) which can help us:
“Dearly beloved, those days which intervened between the Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension did not pass by in uneventful leisure, but great mysteries were ratified in them and deep truths were revealed.
In those days the fear of death was removed with all its terrors, and the immortality not only of the soul but also of the flesh was established. In those days the Holy Ghost is poured upon all the Apostles through the Lord’s breathing upon them, and to the blessed Apostle Peter, set above the rest, the keys of the kingdom are entrusted and the care of the Lord’s flock.
It was during that time that the Lord joined the two disciples as a companion on the way, and, to sweep away all the clouds of our uncertainty, reproached them for the slowness of their timid and trembling hearts. Their enlightened hearts catch the flame of faith, and lukewarm as they have been, they are made to burn while the Lord unfolds the Scriptures. In the breaking of bread also their eyes are opened as they eat with him. How much more blessed is that opening of their eyes, to the glorification of their nature, than the time when our first parents’ eyes were opened to the disastrous consequences of their transgression.
Dearly beloved, through all this time which elapsed between the Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension, God’s Providence had this in view, to teach his own people and impress upon their eyes and their hearts that the Lord Jesus Christ had risen, risen as truly as he had been born and had suffered and died.”
Sixth Sunday of Easter
We are all trying to nurture a deeper love of the Mass and Holy Communion as best we can
Dear Friends in Christ
This is the time of year when normally we would be celebrating First Holy Communion Masses with our children and their families. This will happen as soon as it is practically possible to do so. In the meantime, we are all trying to nurture a deeper love of the Mass and Holy Communion as best we can. I reflected on this last weekend as it was the anniversary of my own First Communion. I can recall that day well, since I still have my First Holy Communion certificate (rather faded) and my First Communion medal. In fact, the medal had been worn by my mother and grandmother at their own First Communions and so it has become something of a family heirloom. I used to keep it in a frame on the mantlepiece but recently someone offered to have it mounted on a chalice pall (the covering that goes upon the chalice during Mass) and it has been done very beautifully. I have taken the liberty of making it the image for the Newsletter/website for this week. I wish this little detail to help encourage you not to lose heart in these days. When I celebrate Mass, seeing this memento of my First Communion upon the Chalice is a reminder of what is most important for us. We are all having highs and lows, inevitably. We are missing seeing our loved-ones, friends and what gives joy and meaning to life. But there are other ways of getting joy and meaning at this time, and hopefully we are using the time to reflect on what defines us as persons. The great seventeenth century French philosopher Blaise Pascal said: All of the problems of mankind stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone. Most of our lives have been spent, up until now, in diverting ourselves from what is really important in life. This pandemic is inviting us, indeed compelling us, to sit quietly and reflect prayerfully, on what is most important in life.
This Thursday is Ascension Day; the end of the time that Jesus spent with the Apostles after His Resurrection, and the moment He departs from them into Heaven. He has gone physically from this earth, but He remains with us still in the Blessed Sacrament, under the appearance of Bread and Wine by which He comforts and consoles us as we look to where He has ascended ahead of us. I encourage you to persevere with following Mass by means of the livestream; making a Spiritual Communion (see the formula on the website) and join in praying the Holy Rosary each evening at 6pm (please send-in your prayer requests). In our spiritual lives we cannot stand still or tread water; to do so would be to regress and lose hope. A greater effort and resourcefulness is required of us all in this time. Let us continue to help and support each other to keep fully alive and thriving!
May Our Lady in this month of May, help us to keep our eyes fixed on Heaven where Jesus has gone before us, and where we hope to live one day!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Saturday 16 May
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6:30-7:30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Rosary
Sunday 17
11.30am Mass Intentions of Rosemary Mann
5.30pm Exposition & Benediction
6 Holy Rosary
St John I
Monday 18
9am Mass Arthur Mills RIP anniversary
6pm Holy Rosary
St Dunstan
Tuesday 19
9am Mass Michael McDonnell RIP
6pm Holy Rosary
St Bernardine of Sienna
Wednesday 20
9am Mass Rene Soleki RIP
6pm Holy Rosary
The Ascension of the Lord
Thursday 21
9am Mass The People of the Parish
6pm Holy Rosary
St Rita
Friday 22
9am Mass School Years 11 and 13 in Thanksgiving
6pm Holy Rosary
Saturday 23
10am Mass Anna Kirk RIP
10.30-11.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Seventh Sunday of Easter
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30-7.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Rosary
Sunday 24
11.30am Mass Intentions of Gerry Dillon
5.30pm Exposition & Benediction
6 Holy Rosary
Offertory Envelopes
Thank you to all those who have been continuing to make your weekly offering to the Parish in these difficult times. Many of you have started giving by Standing Order or by online donation, which is excellent.
Just before the lockdown we distributed a number of the boxes of Offertory envelopes, but the majority had not been taken. During the week, a number of volunteers will deliver these boxes (hygienically!) through your letter boxes. If you are able, please return them to the Presbytery at your convenience.
Thank you for your continued support of the Parish!
Pray for the Repose of the Souls
Peter Burry RIP
Died on Saturday 2 May
Canon John Duckett RIP
Died recently
“Go forth, Christian souls, from this world
in the name of God the almighty Father,
who created you,
in the name of Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
who suffered for you,
in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who was poured out upon you,
go forth, faithful Christians.
May you live in peace this day,
may your home be with God in Zion,
with Mary, the virgin Mother of God,
with Joseph, and all the angels and saints”
Pray for our dead on their anniversaries
Fr John William Hayes, Canon Thomas Clarke, Canon Michael Fitzpatrick, Fr Brendan Sheppard, Mgr Canon William O’Grady, Fr Henry Peace, Fr Charles Carless, Fr Austin Thorburn, Michael Jones, Charles Cutler, William Ross, Eric Jeffries, Lily Mead, Michael McNamara, John Kelly, Richard Walker, Michael Fitzpatrick, Dorothy Mansell, Anna Perkins, Robert Gammon, Zoe Conroy, Joseph Dray, Brian Webb, Gertrude Cayden, Henry Herbert, Christopher Buckingham, Eileen Hart, Murray Grant-Browning, Minnie Rowland, Derrick Amner, Cliff Falkus, Andrzej Sasiadek, Lyonel Winyard, Monica Smith, Kate Parr, Henry Smith, Lawrence Marshall, Mary Lyons, Elizabeth White, Rosa Betts, James Byrne, Jacqueline Cussen
May their Souls & the Souls of all the Faithful Departed rest in peace
Pray for our Sick
Renata Butler, Christine Reid, Anne Owen, Adrian Barclay, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Sylvia Clancy, Patricia Vanner, Amy Louise Fox, Sarah Savage, Bill O’Connell, Janet Weale, Charlotte O’Neil, Ella Williams, David Kislingbury, Mark Shepherd, Eileen Bines, Breege McCaffrey, Mark Hartley, Austin Butler, John Lavery, Paul Keane, Rosemary Bragard, Pat Lynch, Maureen Gooding, Dympna Addecott, Ben Wilson, Christian Ryan, Mike Rubbert, Tina Doveaston, Addi Brady, Patricia Fleming, Nicky Wigmore, Rose Craft, Nan Carrit, Eileen Wilson, Patricia Spikin, Sandra Fagan, Edna Wallace, Beryl Dixon, Nick Evans, Vicky Jack, Mary Boyce, Kristin Hallenga, Anne O’Neill, Cheryl Shallis, Anthony McEvoy, Justin Stark, Sheila Netherton, David Blyth, Janet Woods, Lynne Hilkene, June Moncaster, Laura & Anne Breen, Breda Lynch, Maria Clark, Roy Widdecombe, Johanna Lynch, Anthony King, Chas Taylor, Norma McCleverty,Belinda Balazsi, Johnnie Pool, Edward Martin, Joanna Luciani, Pauline Wilsher, Simon Marshall, Kriston Barnes, Hugh Isaacs, Josephine Griggs, Colleen Worley, Dawn Deleigh, Lorraine Hart, Linda Dean, Wyn McCafferty, Georgina Cornwell, Antonella McConalogue, Eddie McConalogue, Sharon Levill, Annie Holland, Ivor & Joanne Knight, Brian Beresford, Rebecca Peake, Connor Bourke, Mattia Mollica, Bernadette Lane, Irena Solecki, Ianto Bellis, Doreen Troughton, Marguerite Harris, Andrew Exley,Richard Collins, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith, Keith Maliff & children, Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.
Seeking Deputy Headteacher
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School & Nursery
Windermere Road, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2RF
Salary Range: Group 2, L9-14
Closing Date: 12 noon on 22 May
Shortlist: 26 May
Formal Interviews held virtually: 28-29 May
Start September 2020
We do not accept CVs or applications from agencies
We will only contact shortlisted candidates
Assisi Catholic Trust and Governors of Sacred Heart Primary School & Nursery are looking for an enthusiastic, inspiring Deputy Headteacher with exceptionally strong values. We welcome applications from experienced, enthusiastic and suitably qualified practising Catholic Leaders to play a key role in building on the school’s successes and reputation.
We encourage candidates to familiarise themselves with the school. Please contact Joy Robertson on 01702 534546 or finance@sacredheart.southend.sch.uk to arrange a telephone conversation or virtual tour.
Please contact Miss Nikita Parr at the Assisi Registered Office on 01702 606762 or nparr@assisicatholictrust.com to obtain an application pack. Full details of the post are available on the school’s website.
Please submit applications to nparr@assisicatholictrust.com
Parish Fundraising
Thank you to everyone who supports the 200 Club!
April Winners
£150 Mrs S Diggines 33
£100 Mrs C McHugh 164
£75 Mrs P Major 51
£50 Ms J Hoggett 76
£25 Mrs T Whitaker 172
March Winners
£150 Mr I Currie 50
£100 Mrs J Lewis 82
£75 Mr N Warwick-Brown 114
£50 Mr I Bellis 19
£25 Mrs A Charters 95
National Marriage Week
The Family is the hope of the future. Let us pray especially for families facing serious difficulties: may Our Lord assist them
My Dear People
It is always a delight to meet couples celebrating many years of married life together at the Mass of Thanksgiving for Marriage and Family Life, as well as those at the beginning of this adventure. You won’t be surprised to know that we’ve taken the decision not to hold a Mass this year in July as originally planned, and I hope those who would have come this year will be able to come next year instead.
This week is National Marriage Week and I would like to take this opportunity to send my greetings to all married couples, especially those celebrating significant anniversaries this year, and all those who are preparing for marriage. We have recently celebrated the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and the church is greatly enriched by all those who live the vocation to marriage, helping their spouse and their children on the path to heaven and revealing something of Christ’s love for his church through their own commitment to each other. You are all in my prayers, but most especially those who are experiencing illness and bereavement. I am also aware of the deep disappointment experienced by the many engaged couples who have had to postpone weddings or do not yet know how their weddings will be affected, and you too are in my prayers at this time of uncertainty.
Many families will be under a great deal of pressure with all the additional stresses associated with the pandemic, and sadly some relationships will be pushed to breaking point: please do not be afraid to seek help, or leave it too late—Marriage Care is one of a number of organisations offering remote access to marriage counselling, and in our own diocese the Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society continues to provide vital support to children and families who are experiencing difficulties. As Pope Francis recently tweeted:
“The Family is the hope of the future. Let us pray especially for families facing serious difficulties: may Our Lord assist them.”
Yours in Christ and Mary
+Alan Williams, sm
Prayer for those Affected
“Merciful God—come to the help of your people!
Be our shelter in this time of peril and strengthen the bonds of our community
Bring healing to all who suffer the ravages of disease and assist those whose skill and art can put an end to this affliction
Through Christ our Lord, Amen”
Our Lady of Fatima
From Fatima Our Lady continues to call us to conversion and the love of her Immaculate Heart
From Fatima Our Lady continues to call us to conversion and the love of her Immaculate Heart
Audio version
The audio version is also available as a podcast in iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher
Fifth Sunday of Easter
The Gospel of this Sunday of Easter is taken from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper. Full of pathos and insights into the Heart of Our Lord, He reminds the Twelve that whilst He returns to the Father, He will remain with them.
Dear friends in Christ
The Gospel of this Sunday of Easter is taken from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper. Full of pathos and insights into the Heart of Our Lord, He reminds the Twelve that whilst He returns to the Father, He will remain with them. The means whereby He does this, is His Body and Blood in the Eucharistic Banquet, which perpetuates His presence on earth until the end of time.
One of things that has struck me most often in these past few weeks, is how the Church is the living body of Christ and we are Its members. We are made for communion with Jesus Christ and one another. Our Faith is not a private individual affair. Certainly it is about a relationship with Jesus but that relationship is communicated in and through the life of the Church, Christ’s Body on earth. That is why the present crisis is such a trial for all of us. We know that we are made for communion with Jesus and with each other and yet, that reality cannot be realised because we have no access to the Mass and the Sacraments. I hope that when the pandemic is behind us - whenever that will be - that we shall be a more enthusiastic and zealous Church. Some alas, will have sunk into a new comfortable routine without prayer or Sacraments, which will make them ask why they need these in the future. Others I know, are desperately thirsty for the nourishment which comes to us when the Church is gathered together liturgically. Perhaps we shall be a smaller number when we come out of this tunnel but those of us who have been desperately clinging-on to whatever we can find, believe that we will be much more enthusiastic and zealous.
I remind you to join with me daily, especially on Sunday, for the celebration of Holy Mass, albeit virtually. The routine of this is vital, even though imperfect. Also each evening throughout the month of May, pray the Rosary with me at 6pm. This is offered for a swift and safe end of the pandemic and for our particular intentions. Please feel free to email any prayer requests that can be included each evening.
God bless you all, and help us persevere!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Saturday 9 May
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6:30-7:30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Rosary
Sunday 10
11.30am Mass Intentions of Sister Mary Juliana
5.30pm Exposition & Benediction
6pm Holy Rosary
Monday 11
9am Mass Jim McEvoy RIP
6pm Holy Rosary
St John Houghton
Tuesday 12
9am Mass Fr Antony Conlon RIP
6pm Holy Rosary
St Erconwald
Wednesday 13
9am Mass Vocations to the Priesthood
6pm Holy Rosary
St Matthias
Thursday 14
9am Mass Ernie Sansome RIP
6pm Holy Rosary
Friday 15
9am Mass Gwen Byrnes RIP
6pm Holy Rosary
Saturday 16
10am Mass Intentions of David Zovaro
10.30-11.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sixth Sunday of Easter
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30-7.30 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Rosary
Sunday 17
11.30am Mass Intentions of Rosemary Mann
5.30pm Exposition & Benediction
6 Holy Rosary
We Pray for our Sick
Renata Butler, Anne Owen, Adrian Barclay, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Sylvia Clancy, Patricia Vanner, Amy Louise Fox, Sarah Savage, Bill O’Connell, Janet Weale, Charlotte O’Neil, Ella Williams, David Kislingbury, Mark Shepherd, Eileen Bines, Breege McCaffrey, Mark Hartley, Austin Butler, John Lavery, Paul Keane, Rosemary Bragard, Pat Lynch, Maureen Gooding, Dympna Addecott, Ben Wilson, Christian Ryan, Mike Rubbert, Tina Doveaston, Addi Brady, Patricia Fleming, Nicky Wigmore, Rose Craft, Nan Carrit, Eileen Wilson, Patricia Spikin, Sandra Fagan, Edna Wallace, Beryl Dixon, Nick Evans, Vicky Jack, Mary Boyce, Kristin Hallenga, Anne O’Neill, Cheryl Shallis, Anthony McEvoy, Justin Stark, Sheila Netherton, David Blyth, Janet Woods, Lynne Hilkene, June Moncaster, Laura & Anne Breen, Breda Lynch, Maria Clark, Roy Widdecombe, Johanna Lynch, Anthony King, Chas Taylor, Norma McCleverty, Belinda Balazsi, Johnnie Pool, Edward Martin, Joanna Luciani, Pauline Wilsher, Simon Marshall, Kriston Barnes, Hugh Isaacs, Josephine Griggs, Colleen Worley, Dawn Deleigh, Lorraine Hart, Linda Dean, Wyn McCafferty, Georgina Cornwell, Antonella McConalogue, Eddie McConalogue, Sharon Levill, Annie Holland, Ivor & Joanne Knight, Brian Beresford, Rebecca Peake, Connor Bourke, Mattia Mollica, Bernadette Lane, Irena Solecki, Ianto Bellis, Doreen Troughton, Marguerite Harris, Andrew Exley, Richard Collins, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith, Keith Maliff & children, Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.
We pray for our dead on their anniversaries
Fr Augustine Davidson, Mgr Canon John Howell, Fr John Boyle, Fr Stanley Joynes, Fr Jim McCormack, Mary Jones, Wally Hurst, Philip Wilson, Vera Fogarty, Frederick Freeman, James McEvoy, Charlotte Anderson, Robert King, Patrick O’Sullivan, Joyce Wilkinson, Iris Amner, John Lyons, Constance Newton, Louis Bussell, Dorothy Kyrke-Smith, Margaret Philip, Joseph Edwards, John Smith, Eileen Hood, Winifred Craig, Francis Thomas, Roma Morgan, John Rivens, Arthur Mills, Emma Hobbs, Alfred Warner, Philip Everett, Amy Ehn, Bridget Hamblion, Pauline Cousins, Florence West, Ellen O’Leary, Agnes Brady, Edward Petronis.
Delivery Scams
Warning from Safeguarding regarding delivery scams
We are warning residents to stay vigilant following an increase in reports of people receiving unexpected packages from couriers.
There have been a number of victims in Hertfordshire, and more recently in Bishop’s Stortford, where victims have received deliveries they had not ordered. A short while later a woman wearing a DPD courier uniform has arrived to collect the packages, claiming they had been delivered to the wrong address. In the reported instances the packages have contained either iPhones or laptops and have been despatched by AO.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Khanna, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit said: “We want all residents to be aware of this potential fraud. If goods are delivered that you have not ordered and are marked with your address you should inform the company that sent it and wait for them to send a courier. Always check with them which courier company is making the collection and when they will arrive. If someone knocks on the door claiming to have come to pick it up after it was delivered by mistake, think twice about handing it over. Are they from the same company that just delivered it? Can you see a company vehicle? Just because they are in a uniform does not mean they are from the company as they claim.
“If someone tries to deliver a parcel you’ve not ordered, refuse to accept it so that it goes back to the depot or the sender. If you have handed a parcel over please report it to Action Fraud. If someone is at your door claiming to have come to pick up a parcel you never ordered ring 999.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary offers the following crime prevention advice:
If possible, don’t accept or sign for parcels you haven’t ordered.
If a parcel you have received is not something you have ordered, you should
not hand the parcel over to someone calling at your door unless you have made a prior arrangement for its collection and you are able to check the identity of the caller.
If you realise a parcel you have received is something you have not ordered, you should immediately contact the company to arrange for its
collection. Remember to ask how to ensure the identity of the person collecting it.If you have already handed over a package in the circumstances described contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or actionfraud.police.uk.
Pray for the Repose of the Souls
Grahame Addecott
Died on Friday 24 April
Peter Burry
Died on Saturday 2 May