Kevin Hale
Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dear friends in Christ

Shortly after the Annunciation Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth.

Fourth Sunday of Advent
Kevin Hale
Third Sunday of Advent 'Gaudete'

Dear friends in Christ 

The title of this Third Sunday of Advent takes its name from the Entrance Antiphon—or Introit—of the Mass: Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. Dominus enim prope est…Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.

Third Sunday of Advent 'Gaudete'
Kevin Hale
Second Sunday of Advent

Dear friends in Christ

Throughout Advent the Church uses the voice of the Old Testament prophets to assist us in the task of preparing a way for the Messiah.

Second Sunday of Advent
Kevin Hale
First Sunday of Advent

Dear friends in Christ

I would like to begin Advent by sharing with you some helpful lines from a sermon on Advent by Monsignor Ronald Knox, preached in 1947:

Everybody knows, even those of us who have lived most unadventurously, what it is to plod on for miles, it seems, eagerly straining your eyes towards the lights that, somehow, mean home.

First Sunday of Advent
Kevin Hale
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Dear friends in Christ

The Kingship of Christ is a strange kingship, by the values of this world.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Lourdes Jubilee Year Pilgrimage

The proposed Pilgrimage to Lourdes next year, flying with BA, will depart Heathrow on Monday 21st July 07.35am—Arrive Toulouse 10.25am, returning on Saturday 26th July 10.45am—arriving at 11.45am.

The 5-night package price is £895 per pilgrim sharing, single supplement is £225, staying at the 4 star Grand Hotel Moderne Soubirous (closest to Sanctuary).

This includes 5 nights full-board and return luxury coach transfer from Lourdes airport to the hotel.

Please leave your name and contact details with the Parish Office soon, as places are limited.

JOURNEY OF FAITH—RCIA

This continues on Monday, 16th December and is specifically for those who are not Catholics but who are enquiring with a view to finding out more about the Catholic Faith and Reception into the Church. These evenings begin at 8pm, are held in the Newman Room of the Parish Centre (the door is beside the Memorial Garden) and usually last just over an hour. Names may be given in advance to Fr Kevin or the Parish Office.

OLOL Ladies Group

We meet again on Thursday, 19th December at 10am in the Parish Centre. This will be our last Meeting this year and we plan to celebrate with some Festive cheer, reflect on this past year when we have enjoyed talks and presentations on a variety of subjects from our invited guests, plus a lot of ‘in-house’ entertainment from our Members.

Do come along and enjoy a mince pie and glass of Prosecco, plus a Bumper Festive Raffle.

Our next Meeting will be in January and if you haven’t joined us yet, just a reminder that the Ladies Group is open to all Ladies in the Parish, with subs remaining at just £1 per meeting.

Sea of Voices Choir

The choir will be holding an informal Carol and cakes concert in the Parish Centre on Sunday 15th December from 3pm - not a formal concert, as in past years, as we will be asking for audience participation in singing well known carols, as well as us singing some of our repertoire. We will ask for charity donations on that afternoon. 

Posters & Stickers

A supply of 'Keep Christ in Christmas' envelope stickers provided free by the Knights of Saint Columba are available for parishioners to take home to be put onto the front of Christmas card envelopes. Please take some home to be used for your Christmas card postings. Please also take a poster to display prominently in your window.

Repository

We have a good selection of Advent Calendars for children, plus New year Calendars for Adults. We also have a good stock of Aid to Church in Need Christmas cards and a selection of cards now in stock from the LMS.

We have a few 1 Year Missals left and if you would like the 3 Year copy please ask one of the Volunteers to add your name to the Waiting list.

Vacancy at St Bernard's High School

LEARNING MENTOR

Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week (8.00am – 4.00pm), term time only  
Scale 7 – 12 (£25,584 - £27,711 / pro rata actual salary £21,933- £23,757)

Closing Date: 16 December 2024, 9.00am   
Interviews: Morning of 18 December 2024
Start date:  6 January 2025

We are looking for a positive, enthusiastic and approachable professional to work alongside our Learning Mentor Team supporting identified students.

You will be joining a successful, friendly and supportive department within a high-performing school, supporting students from Years 7 – Y13.   You will need to be able to work flexibly and provide support, motivation and guidance to help students overcome barriers to their learning.

If you are interested in applying for this role, please complete the Support Staff Application Form found on our website (www.stbernardswestcliff.org.uk under About Us/Vacancies) and email it to recruitment@stbernards.southend.sch.uk. 

Second Sunday of Advent

Liturgy:
Readings of Year C
The Nicene Creed
Preface 1 of Advent

Saturday 7
St Ambrose, Bp D
5.30pm Vigil Doctor Rebecca Brown, RIP (D&SC)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession

Sunday 8 December
Second Sunday of Advent
8am Mass Michael Mapson, RIP (LM)
9.30am Mass Clare Clarke, RIP (Anniv) (IR)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction

Monday 9
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
 9am Mass Paul Watts, RIP (MH)
7pm Holy Rosary, Consecration to the Immaculate Heart & Benediction

Tuesday 10
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
9am Mass Intentions of Ann Craig (AC)

Wednesday 11
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
9am Mass For the intention of all Priests (ML)

Thursday 12
Our Lady of Guadalupe
9am Mass Lucille Tarrobal, (RIP)

Friday 13
St Lucy, V, M
12Noon Mass Ian Spacie, RIP (VS)

Saturday 14
St John of the Cross, Pr, D
10am Mass Maria Luisa Page, RIP (LS)
10.30-11.30am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession

5.30pm Vigil John Jarvis, RIP (VJ)
6.30-7.30pm: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Confession

Sunday 15 December
Third Sunday of Advent ‘Gaudete’
8am Mass Michael Mapson, RIP (GM)
9.30am Mass John McCarthy, RIP (Anniv) (McC)
11.30am Mass The People of the Parish
5.30pm Vespers & Benediction

We Pray for the Dead on their Anniversaries

Fr John Lane, Canon Anthony McKinley, Fr Geffrey Pye, Fr Eamonn Magrath, Fr George Carolan, Fr william Evers, Fr Francis Kerrigan, Fr Gerard Kerr, Fr Bernard Pownall, Fr John Evers, Fr Bentley, Ann Dawson, William Johnson, Bruce Pond, John Newton, Thomas O’Hanlon, Mary Alice Ring, Mary Dulcie O’Leary, John Parsons, Sheila de Chantilly, Johanna Sadowski, Arthur Coughlan, Walter Scott, Patrick Lyons, Clare Clarke, Karen Anderson, Hilda Eid, Georgina Francis, Ann Dunbar, Francis Mullan, Ivy Heale, Cecilia Upsher, William Anderson, Marie O’Carroll, John Burke, Ronald Clarke, Eugene Grant, Alexander Black, Baby Felicity Garland, Peter D’Angerville, Bernard Dunne, Mary Slattery, Sallie Walker, Patrick Sheehan, Angela Evelyn Joyce & Doreen Murphy.

We pray for our sick

The Sick List is available on the website main menu, under Worship.

We pray for the sick of our parish

“Father,
by the power of your Spirit
you have filled the hearts of your faithful people
with gifts of love for one another.
Hear the prayers we offer for our relatives and friends.
Give them health of mind and body
that they may do your will with perfect love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.”
— Roman Missal: For relatives and friends

Lourdes Jubilee Year Pilgrimage

The proposed Pilgrimage to Lourdes next year, flying with BA, will depart Heathrow on Monday 21st July 07.35am—Arrive Toulouse 10.25am, returning on Saturday 26th July 10.45am—arriving at 11.45am.

The 5-night package price is £895 per pilgrim sharing, single supplement is £225, staying at the 4 star Grand Hotel Moderne Soubirous (closest to Sanctuary).

This includes 5 nights full-board and return luxury coach transfer from Lourdes airport to the hotel.

Please leave your name and contact details with the Parish Office soon, as places are limited.

Dates for your Diary

Monday, 9th December—Journey in Faith (RCIA) 8pm Parish Centre

Friday 20th December—Annual Carol Service 7pm

Saturday 15th—Friday 21st March 2025—Parish Mission led by the Redemptorists

Saturdays 10th & 17th May 10.30am—First Holy Communion Masses

Sunday 1st June 2025—Visitation & Confirmation

Sunday 22nd June—Corpus Christi Procession 4pm

Monday 21st—Friday 25th July—Lourdes Pilgrimage

Monday 8th September Centenary of the Opening of our Church

JOURNEY OF FAITH—RCIA

This continues on Monday, 9th December and is specifically for those who are not Catholics but who are enquiring with a view to finding out more about the Catholic Faith and Reception into the Church. These evenings begin at 8pm, are held in the Newman Room of the Parish Centre (the door is beside the Memorial Garden) and usually last just over an hour. Names may be given in advance to Fr Kevin or the Parish Office.

Posters & Stickers

A supply of 'Keep Christ in Christmas' envelope stickers provided free by the Knights of Saint Columba are available for parishioners to take home to be put onto the front of Christmas card envelopes. Please take some home to be used for your Christmas card postings. Please also take a poster to display prominently in your window.

Repository

We have a good selection of Advent Calendars for children, plus New year Calendars for Adults. We also have a good stock of Aid to Church in Need Christmas cards and a selection of cards now in stock from the LMS.

We have a few 1 Year Missals left and if you would like the 3 Year copy please ask one of the Volunteers to add your name to the Waiting list.