Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dear friends in Christ
Everyone single one of us has a divine calling from God.
Dear friends in Christ
Everyone single one of us has a divine calling from God. Most of us know what God is asking of us in this life, but it will only be fully shown to us in the next life. Throughout the centuries Jesus has continually invited souls to follow Him. We hear it for the first time in the Gospel of this Sunday’s Mass. In response to the request of the two disciples of John the Baptist, Jesus invites them to come and see where He lives. The first move always comes from God: He invites us, and it is our opportunity to respond.
We have now entered the period called Ordinary Time. It is related to ordinal, which means “counted time”. These are the Sundays with numbers for names: Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Twenty-seventh Sunday, etc. There are two blocks of Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar. One follows the Christmas cycle (from the Baptism of the Lord, until Ash Wednesday). The other follows the Easter cycle (from Pentecost up to Advent of the next year). You can recognise them by their liturgical colour of green.
The Resurrection is celebrated on every Sunday, which is to say that Sunday is not a small Easter, rather Easter is a big Sunday. What we do every Sunday, we do in a big way at Easter. But we live from the fragrance of Christ’s Resurrected body all year long. The readings for these Sundays tend to be semi-continuous readings through certain sections of Scripture, especially through Matthew, Mark and Luke. Large portions of each Gospel are read and you can watch the chapters go by from one Sunday to the next. Ordinary Time is an opportunity to put the teaching of Jesus in context and follow the thought through to the end. The Old Testament lesson is selected to be congruent with the Gospel reading. This all leads us to Christ, our King. The liturgical year ends with the solemnity of Christ the King. He is enthroned in our hearts as well as in Heaven, in order to do His Father’s will and restore all things. We pray that the whole creation, set free from slavery, may render your majesty service and ceaselessly proclaim your praise (Collect for Christ the King). We progress through repeated liturgical years like a stone in a rock polisher, being smoothed and brightened by our contact with the mysteries, the mysteries that make us holy and will one day bring us to Heaven!
There has been a fear that the Government would want places of worship closed in the recent lockdown. However, a place of worship is one of the very few legal exemptions that allow larger numbers to gather in the same venue. The decision to allow our churches to remain open is based on two factors: the recognition that our churches are safe, and that the service they offer is essential. To keep everyone safe, it is crucial that we continue to comply assiduously with the law and the Covid-guidelines. Thank you to everyone who has cooperated with this and all those who have been tireless in their help stewarding and cleaning.
God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
5.30pm Vigil The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Confessions by St Joseph
Sunday 17 January
8am Mass Eric Major, RIP (Anniversary) (PM)
9.30am Mass Pauline Bradford, RIP (TL)
11.30am Mass Intentions of Noel Murray (UO’K)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 18
Feria
9am Mass Intentions of Theresa Prentice (JR)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Tuesday 19
St Wulstan, Bp
12Noon Mass Fr Michael Horrax, RIP (PM)
11.30-1pm Private Prayer
Wednesday 20
St Fabian, P, M
9am Mass Intentions of the Hurley Family
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Thursday 21
St Agnes, V, M
9am Mass Bob Walker, RIP (F&JO’B)
Friday 22
St Vincent, Deacon, M
12Noon Mass Intentions of Tony & Val Tisi (SVP)
11.30-1pm Private Prayer
Saturday 23
Saturday Memorial of BVM
10am Mass Ugo Gardin, RIP (Anniversary) (MB)
9.30-11am Private Prayer
Confessions by St Joseph
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Confessions by St Joseph
Sunday 24 January
8am Mass Deceased members of the Butt & Bull Families (MB)
9.30am Mass Barbara Sheaf, RIP (Anniversary) (BP)
11.30am Mass Alan Bush, RIP (CB)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Fr Kenneth Green, Canon Charles Kuypers, Mgr Canon David Donnelly, Fr John Meehan, Bp Bernard Ward, Fr Christopher Quirke, Pope Benedict XV, Bp Arthur Doubleday, Patrick Connolly, Brenda Campbell, Germaine Cave-Palmer, Renée Warburton, Robert Garson-Gratidge, Breeda Hayes, Bridget Kelly, Maud Reddy, Catherine Woods, Eugene Regan, Barry Anderson, Anne Ryan, Bernard Leonard, Gilbert Oldham, John F. Dillon, Ilene Axson, Dora Maria Trieste Arnott, Teresa Moule, Courtney Choat-Kelly, Kathleen Goddard, Hubert A. Conally, Jimmy Baker, Catherine Morris, Frances May Emmerson, John Mansfield, Rose Nice, Isabel King, Conor Patrick Hartley-Anderson, Mary Vermeulen, John Dillon, T. Fitzpatrick, Mary Lilian Clarke & Ellen Rose Brooks.,
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, Bradley & children: Thomas Ball, Liam Davis, Connie Price, Albert Chambers, Fergus Grant, Mary Isherwood, Lucy Price & Frazer Gregory.
We Pray for the Repose of the Souls of
LOUIS MOONEY, RIP who died on Wednesday, 30th December.
DUNCAN BOYLE, RIP who died on Wednesday, 6th January.
GORDANA (ANNA) BENDKOWSKI, RIP who died recently.
Music at 11.30am Mass on Sunday
Adagio e Dolce (Trio Sonata No. 3) BWV 527 - J S Bach (1685-1750)
Intrada - Grayston Ives (b. 1948)
Catholic Truth Society - Get a Sunday Missal for £1.99
To support the faithful during the pandemic the CTS new Sunday Missal is now only £1.99. During this difficult time, if you are unable to get to Mass, or you don’t have a missal for the current liturgical year, we want to let you know that we have discounted The CTS New Sunday Missal 2021 to just £1.99
If you know anyone who is shielding and unable to get to mass they can get copies sent directly to them. Either follow this link Get a Sunday Missal for £1.99 or go to the CTS website at ctsbooks.org
Also on offer: The CTS Calendar - Now £1
Beautiful wall calendar with a calendar grid marking out the feasts and seasons of the Catholic calendar, a Scripture reference for the Sunday Gospel, and Pope Francis’s prayer intentions for each month.
We know the year ahead may look challenging, so it is more important than ever that everyone can find the support they need in our unchanging God.
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The Baptism of the Lord
Dear friends in Christ
With the feast of Our Lord’s Baptism this weekend the Christmas season is brought to completion, although liturgically it continues until 2nd February: The Presentation—Candlemas—and the Purification of Our Lady. Jesus—perfect God and perfect Man—did not need to be baptised.
Dear friends in Christ
With the feast of Our Lord’s Baptism this weekend the Christmas season is brought to completion, although liturgically it continues until 2nd February: The Presentation—Candlemas—and the Purification of Our Lady. Jesus—perfect God and perfect Man—did not need to be baptised. The Fathers of the Church teach us that Jesus underwent this ritual as a sign of his humility and submission and also by entering the waters of the Jordan, to make holy for all time, water that will be used for the sacrament of Baptism.
The Baptism which St John gave was a sign of conversion and repentance; the sacrament of Baptism which is instituted by Christ is the commencement of divine filiation. By being Baptised, every one of us who emerges from the font, has been made a child of God. There is nothing greater that we can ever say. Recognition of the reality that we are sons and daughters of God is a gift. It is not readily apparent, and we need to pray for this gift and use our own efforts to call it to mind frequently. Otherwise our tendency is to forget this reality and live as if we were not children of God. Then we may become needlessly depressed, have a sense of being overwhelmed by the cares of daily life and problems that arise, lack apostolic zeal, feel lonely, and find ourselves seeking satisfaction from human relationships or goods that only our faith can really provide. When that happens, it’s time to begin again. If we find our spiritual edifice is tottering, or if everything seems to be up in the air, we lean on filial confidence in Jesus and Mary; it’s the firm and steady rock on which we base every facet of our lives. Give thanks on this day for the grace of Baptism: for our parents who brought us to the font and for our godparents who helped sustain us in the Faith of Christ.
There is one positive element to this latest lockdown: at the time of writing this, we are being allowed to keep our churches open for communal worship. Please continue to reserve a place online and let us be assiduous in the way we observe the protocols which maintain the church as a Covid-safe environment. So, please sanitise hands upon entering and leaving church; wear a face covering, keep a safe distance apart (2 metres), do not touch objects in the church, do not stay at the votive candle stands together and please do not congregate inside or outside of church.
We remember our Schools, and all who work and learn in them at this time; that they may not lose heart but work as best they can given the circumstances. Similarly we pray for all those whose work has been disrupted or threatened by the pandemic. Through the intercession of St Joseph, may we receive some comfort and help.
May God bless you all!
Msgr Kevin Hale
The Baptism of the Lord
Saturday 9 January
10am Mass Jeremiah Brennan, RIP (KE)
9.30-11pm Private Prayer
Confessions by St Joseph
The Baptism of the Lord
5.30pm Vigil The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Confessions by St Joseph
Sunday 10 January
8am Mass Dec'd Members of the Wright Family (PB)
9.30am Mass Caroline Murley, RIP (LW)
11.30am Mass Essie Glauda, RIP (Anniversary) (KC)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
Monday 11
Feria
9am Mass Intentions of Mary Cook (SD)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Tuesday 12
St Aelred of Rievaulx
9am Mass Jacques Goubel, RIP (LG)
8.30-10am Private Prayer
Wednesday 13
St Hilary, Bp, D
9am Mass Joe de Lobel, RIP (Anniversary) (JL)
No Private Prayer
Thursday 14
Feria
9.15am Requiem Mass Winifred McClafferty, RIP
No Public Mass
No Private Prayer
Friday 15
Feria
12Noon Mass Timothy McCarthy, RIP (Anniversary) (SM)
11.30-1pm Private Prayer
Saturday 16
Saturday Memorial of BVM
10am Mass Jim Dobbin, RIP (F&JO’B)
9.30-11am Private Prayer
Confessions by St Joseph
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
5.30pm Vigil Mass The People of the Parish
6.30pm Holy Hour: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
Confessions by St Joseph
Sunday 17 January
8am Mass Eric Major, RIP (Anniversary) (PM)
9.30am Mass Pauline Bradford, RIP (TL)
11.30am Mass Intentions of Noel Murray (UO’K)
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction
We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries
Canon Francis Dobson, Fr John King, Fr Gilbert Basil Pearson, Fr Neville Banks, Madelaine Moroney, Clive Vincent Allen, Stephana Gallacher, Evelyn Roots, June Dillon, Cyril Jarman, Agness O’Donoghue, Agnes McManus, Catherine Ramsay, Hubert Carlyon, May Tomlinson, Ryan Allen, Margaret Bonsor, Juan Billena, Mabel Payne, Joe DeLobel, Leslie George Murray, Derrick Whithil-Smith, Mary Cooper, Tim McCarthy, Lily Jessie Johnson, Eileen Watson, Georges Egidio, Dr Robert Clark, Catherine Mills, Pat Rogers, Patricia Manning, Eric Major, John Mayo, Anna Sohl, Rose-Margaret Gilbert, Mary Ann Foley, Elsie Nicol, Nancy Hume, Annie Shea, Gordon Wallen, Brigid Connolly, Violet Read & Gabriel Craven.
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.
Music at 11.30am Mass on Sunday
Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam BuxWV 180 - Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Passacaglia in D Minor BuxWV 161 - Dietrich Buxtehude
COVID: Guidelines for Public Worship
Our church will remain open for public worship, if we can keep it safe — please try your best to observe the guidance:
book a place online for Mass, one booking will accommodate up to three adults or two adults and two children from the same family (you might ask anyone who does not have internet if you could book for them)
do not come to the church if you or anyone living with you has Corona-virus symptoms
before entering church wear a face covering
sanitise your hands upon entry and exit
use the QR code at the entrance for Test and Trace
as advised, try to keep two metres from others, using only the pews designated
do not touch or kiss statues, candle stands or other objects that others may come in contact with
when receiving Holy Communion, remove your face covering before receiving in the hand and do not move away from the Altar until It has been consumed
any weekly offerings can be left in one of the baskets at the back of church and preferably use one of the online, contactless or standing order methods of giving.
Thank you for your continued co-operation with these guidelines — this will ensure the church is a safe environment for everyone.
Southend Cemetery Information
Southend Council will shortly be undertaking maintenance and improvement works at the Catholic Cemetery in Southend. There are notices to grave owners advising that the grass area is going to be renovated and all plants/mementos on the grass will need to be removed or they will be taken away and eventually destroyed. The deadline for removal is 31st January 2021.
Catholic Truth Society - Get a Sunday Missal for £1.99
To support the faithful during the pandemic the CTS new Sunday Missal is now only £1.99. During this difficult time, if you are unable to get to Mass, or you don’t have a missal for the current liturgical year, we want to let you know that we have discounted The CTS New Sunday Missal 2021 to just £1.99
If you know anyone who is shielding and unable to get to mass they can get copies sent directly to them. Either follow this link Get a Sunday Missal for £1.99 or go to the CTS website at ctsbooks.org
Also on offer: The CTS Calendar - Now £1
Beautiful wall calendar with a calendar grid marking out the feasts and seasons of the Catholic calendar, a Scripture reference for the Sunday Gospel, and Pope Francis’s prayer intentions for each month.
We know the year ahead may look challenging, so it is more important than ever that everyone can find the support they need in our unchanging God.