We Pray for our Sick
Margaret Bartle, Tony Downey, Kristy Monferrari, Fred Ring, Ian Irwin, Russell Short, Marie Karaf, Gilberte Cook, Garry Pearman, Anne Owen, Adrian Barclay, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Sylvia Langley, 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, 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, Dawn Deleigh, Lorraine Hart, Linda Dean, 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, 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 the Repose of the Soul of
Winifred McCafferty, RIP who died on Wednesday, 23rd December.
The Holy Family of Jesus,Mary & Joseph
Saturday 26 December
12Noon Mass Altar Servers & their Families’ Intentions
11.30-1pm Private Prayer
No Evening Mass
Sunday 27 December
8am Mass Michael Barry, RIP (F&JO’B)
9.30am Mass Anna, Eugene & Vito Siani, RIP (RB)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 28
The Holy Innocents, Mm
10am Mass William Underwood, RIP (Anniversary) (RB)
9.30-11am Private Prayer
Tuesday 29
St Thomas of Canterbury, Bp, M
9am Mass Adrian Dann, RIP (Anniversary) (SD)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Wednesday 30
Sixth Day within the octave of Christmas
9am Mass Steve & Agnes McManus, RIP (Anniversary) (SW)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Thursday 31
Seventh Day within the octave of Christmas
9am Mass Peter Cope, RIP (MG)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
6pm Holy Hour, Benediction & Te Deum
Friday 1 January
Mary, Mother of God
12Noon Mass Intentions of Susan Owens (JA)
11.30-1pm Private Prayer
Saturday 2
Ss Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, App, Dd
10am Mass Maureen Regan, RIP (Anniversary) (CR)
9.30-11am Private Prayer
Second Sunday after the Nativity
5.30pm Vigil Maria Keen, RIP (Anniversary) (DL)
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sunday 3 January
8am Mass The People of the Parish
9.30am Mass Brita Irons, RIP (JV)
11.30am Mass Susan Coughlan, RIP (CM)
4pm Mass Anthony Fleming, RIP (SF) - Ex Form
(No general Communion)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Christmas Greetings
With my heartfelt prayers for you and all your loved ones this Christmas, as we rejoice in the Birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, the unconditional love of the Father made visible to human eyes.
Msgr Kevin Hale
With my heartfelt prayers for you and all your loved ones this Christmas, as we rejoice in the Birth of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, the unconditional love of the Father made visible to human eyes.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Dear friends in Christ
The final week of Advent begins our contemplation of the divine birth of our Saviour.
Dear friends in Christ
The final week of Advent begins our contemplation of the divine birth of our Saviour. Central to this mystery is the Divine Motherhood of Mary. We must not forget though, that God chose a foster-father for Our Lord--St Joseph--who would be his guardian too. Perhaps the role of Mary is all too obvious and prominent, to the extent that St Joseph doesn’t get much of the limelight. This month Pope Francis has addressed this by reminding us that it is one hundred and fifty years since St Joseph was declared the Universal Patron of the Church, by Blessed Pope Pius IX. To celebrate the anniversary, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special Year of St Joseph, beginning on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 2020 and extending to the same feast in 2021. In a new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart), Pope Francis describes St Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows.
The Holy Father wrote Patris Corde against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, he says, has helped us see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, they resemble St Joseph, the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence, who nonetheless played an incomparable role in the history of salvation.
At the end of his letter, Pope Francis relates how for over forty years, at the end of morning prayer he has added this prayer to St Joseph. This prayer, he says, expresses devotion and trust, and even poses a certain challenge to St Joseph, on account of its closing words: My beloved father, all my trust is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power.
We could get used to saying a prayer to St Joseph too, each day, in this coming year. This will be a powerful way of placing ourselves under his guardianship as Jesus did, and recall to our minds that he is still protecting Holy Church. May St Joseph inspire us in these days, to have a tender love for the Child Jesus, so that we may celebrate His Birth with thanksgiving.
I wish you and your families every joy and blessing this Christmastide. I shall keep very specially in my Christmas Masses the intentions of those who have suffered in this last year: those who lost loved-ones, or their employment or suffered ill-health and all who have felt bereft. May the coming of Christ give us all a renewed joy and lightness of heart.
Msgr Kevin Hale
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Saturday 19 December
5.30pm Vigil Mass Intentions of Grace McNamee (CS)
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Confessions after Mass
Sunday 20 December
8am Mass Con Parker, RIP (FO’B)
9.30am Mass Maria Keen, RIP (DL)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 21
Feria
9am Mass Bernadette Perry, RIP
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Confessions after Mass
Tuesday 22
Feria
9am Mass Anthony Comey, RIP (Anniversary) (MC)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Confessions after Mass
Wednesday 23
Feria
9am Mass Clare Chadwick, RIP & Pauline Godfrey, RIP (MI)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Confessions after Mass
Thursday 24
Christmas Eve
9am Mass Thomas Byrnes, RIP (Anniversary) (SG)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Confessions after Mass
5pm Mass Private Intention
7pm Mass Private Intention
11pm Mass The People of the Parish
(preceded by Vigil of readings and organ meditations 10.30pm)
Friday 25
Christmas Day
8am Mass Private Intention
9.30am Mass Private Intention
11.30am Mass Private Intention
Saturday 26
St Stephen, The First Martyr
12Noon Mass Altar Servers & their Families’ Intentions
11.30-1pm Private Prayer
There is no evening Mass
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph
Sunday 27 December
8am Mass Michael Barry, RIP (F&JO’B)
9.30am Mass Anna, Eugene & Vito Siani, RIP (RB)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr William Guineven, Fr Arthur Cowd, Bp Brian Foley, Canon Wilfrid Thompson, Fr Francis Greean, Bernard Murphy, Paola March, Nary Poole, Peter Robson, Christopher Mabey, Mabel Caarter, Francis Brady, Eleanor Dillon, William Smith Grace Greiner, Veronica Barrett, Cathy Baker, Robert Kirsch, Teresa Evans, Roland Glazebrook, David Middleton, Mario Piacentini, Elsie Osborne, Mary Heather, Teresa riley, Elizabeth Astall, Jessica Wilson, Basil DeNeuman, Mary Higgins, Anthony Nesn’s, Bridget McDonald, Julia Upsher,Eddie Gillman, Clare Whomes, Douglas Hurley, Charles Stokes, Lynda Quinlivan, Guido Lauria, Janet Newby, Michael Manning, John Furley Amelia Eaglesfield & Flor Perez de Pina.
We Pray for our Sick
Margaret Bartle, Tony Downey, Kristy Monferrari, Fred Ring, Ian Irwin, Russell Short, Marie Karaf, Gilberte Cook, Garry Pearman, Anne Owen, Adrian Barclay, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Sylvia Langley, 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, 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, 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, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith, Keith Maliff & children: Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.
The Year of St Joseph
Prayer to St Joseph
To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness. As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen (By Pope Leo XIII)
Prayer to St Joseph before Holy Mass
O Blessed Joseph, happy man, to whom it was given not only to see and to hear that God Whom many kings longed to see, and saw not, to hear, and heard not; but also to carry Him in your arms, to embrace Him, to clothe Him, and guard and defend Him.
V. Pray for us, O Blessed Joseph. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
O God, Who has given us a royal priesthood, we beseech you, that as Blessed Joseph was found worthy to touch with his hands, and to bear in his arms, your only-begotten Son, born of the Virgin Mary, so may we be made fit, by cleanness of heart and blamelessness of life, to minister at your holy altar; may we, this day, with reverent devotion partake of the Sacred Body and Blood of Your Only-begotten Son, and may we in the world to come be accounted worthy of receiving an everlasting reward. Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Christmas Masses
All of the Christmas Masses are now fully booked but remember that you can fulfil your obligation and celebrate Christmas on any day during the Christmas week up to, and including, 1st January. Unfortunately we cannot admit any extra people to the Christmas Masses. If you have not been able to reserve a place, sadly you will not be able to be in the church. We must follow the Government Guidelines carefully to ensure that our churches are as safe as possible. All of the Masses and liturgies can be viewed on the livestream.
Christmas Offerings
As there is no collection at Masses at present, please place any Christmas Offerings in the baskets at the back of church. They may also be posted through The Presbytery letter box; made online or by means of the contactless device at the back of church. Please use the Christmas envelopes if you have them in your box and always state your Gift Aid number. Many thanks!
Parish Fundraising
Thank you to everyone who supports the 200 Club. The results of the November draw are as follows:
1st Prize £150 148 Mr I Irwin
2nd Prize £100 134 Mr D Little
3rd Prize £75 1 Mr J Peoples
4th Prize £50 99 Mrs E Gurney
5th Prize £25 3 Mr M Diggines
Owing to the fall in membership, from January the number of prizes will drop to four. These will be £150, £100, £75 and £25.
Third Sunday of Advent
Dear friends in Christ
The second half of Advent introduces us into the joy of the Incarnation.
Dear friends in Christ
The second half of Advent introduces us into the joy of the Incarnation. The birth of Jesus into our world is the source of all joy and happiness. Even if throughout most of this year we have experienced trials, heaviness of heart and anxiety, the coming of Jesus at Christmas is a moment to reflect on how God wants to reassure us that He is close. Happiness is the hallmark of a Christian. Ours however, is not just any kind of happiness, it is the conviction that our Saviour has come amongst us and that, despite all the worries and uncertainties we face, we have a foundation in Faith that is not transitory or illusory. To have the certainty that God is our Father and He has given us His Son to light-up our way on earth, is the heart of the Christian life. It is not difficult to imagine the joy of Joseph and Mary in these days of Advent, radiant with joy as they awaited His birth.
This Christmas will inevitably—like Easter—be like none other we have experienced. The restrictions that have been placed on our freedoms will feel debilitating and frustrating. However, this gives us the opportunity to focus on what is most central and essential at this time. The reduction in the amount of time that we can spend socialising might help us to spend more time in contemplation of the Incarnation, the Word becoming flesh. Please remember to book for all Masses, and especially the Christmas Mass, online. We have to be very strict about this in order to ensure that proper distancing is observed and that the church is Covid-safe for everyone. If you find that the Masses are all booked-up for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, then remember that we have been given the dispensation by our Bishops to celebrate our Christmas Mass on any day during Christmas week. All of this makes us joyful for what we have, never to take it for granted, and look forward to future celebrations of the mysteries of our Faith.
God bless you and your families!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Third Sunday of Advent - 'Gaudete' Sunday
Saturday 12 December
5.30pm Vigil Mass Fidelis & Lourdes Mary Pallis, RIP (Anniversaries) (DL)
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sunday 13 December
8am Mass The People of the Parish
9.30am Mass Carl Balcazar, RIP (PB)
11.30am Mass Charles & Mark Kelly, RIP (MS)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 14
St John of the Cross, Pr, D
9am Mass John Jarvis, RIP (VJ)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Tuesday 15
Feria
9am Mass Dympna Addecott, RIP (T&RO’C)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Wednesday 16
Feria
9am Mass Pierina Kavanagh, RIP (TT)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Thursday 17
Feria
9am Mass Deceased members of Kevin & Linda Wall’s Families (K&LW)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Friday 18
Feria
12Noon Mass Paul Emmerson, RIP (Anniversary) (AE)
11.30am-1pm Private Prayer
Saturday 19
Feria
10am Mass Michael Edwards, RIP (KE)
9.30-11.30am Private Prayer
Exposition 10.30-11.30am
Confessions in the Lady Chapel
Fourth Sunday of Advent
5.30pm Vigil Intentions of Grace McNamee (CS)
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Sunday 20 December
8am Mass Con Parker, RIP (FO’B)
9.30am Mass Maria Keen, RIP (DL)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr George Carolan, Fr William Evers, Fr Francis Kerrigan, Fr Gerard Kerr, Fr Bentley, Baby Felicity Garland, Peter D’Angerville, Bernard Dunne, Mary Slattery, Sallie Walker, Patrick Sheehan, Angela Evelyn Joyce, Doreen Murphy, Clarice Bugazzo, Thomas McInerney, Francis Gavin, Anthony Troughton, Charles Hughes, John Maxfield, Mary McQuaird, Francis O’Neill, Eileen Byczynski, Kevin Shanahan, Herbert Marriott, Evelyn Tobias, Ronald Buckley, Patricia Bishop, Andrew Hills, Mary Hurley, Alice Chapman, Miss E Parker, Paul Emmerson, Sylvia Walton, Gladys Symons, Mabel Walmsley, John Bargent & Anthony Fleming.
We Pray for our Sick
Margaret Bartle, Tony Downey, Kristy Monferrari, Fred Ring, Ian Irwin, Russell Short, Marie Karaf, Gilberte Cook, Garry Pearman, Anne Owen, Adrian Barclay, Patricia Ann Darroch, Peggy Larman, Sylvia Langley, 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, 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, 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, Elizabeth McConalogue, Kean Smith, Keith Maliff & children: Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.