Parish Newsletter 26th July 2009

St Simon Stock Catholic Church

26th JULY 2009

Brookfield Road, South Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU Tel: 01233 622399

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Parish Priest: Fr John Boyle Saint Simon of England RC Primary School, Noakes Meadow, Ashford, TN23 2RB. Tel: 01233 623199 Head teacher: Mrs Elizabeth Willis

DAY OF PRAYER FOR HUMAN LIFE

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS th Sunday 26 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Day of Prayer for Human Life 10.00am Mass (Deceased parents and brothers of Josephine Diffley) 12.00noon Mass (Latin, 1962 Missal – eighth Sunday after Pentecost) 4.00pm Mass in Polish 6.00pm Mass (People of the parish) th Monday 27 9.30am Mass (Holy Souls) th Tuesday 28 9.30am Mass (Peggie Fairess RIP) followed by Divine Mercy Chaplet & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until 10.30am 4.00pm Reception of the body of the late Roman Zolna th Wednesday 29 10.00am Requiem Mass of Roman Zolna RIP th Thursday 30 6.45pm Mass (Latin, 1962 Missal, Blesseds Edward Powell, Richard Featherstone & Companions, Martyrs) (Welfare of Sir Philmer Honeywood) st Friday 31 St Ignatius of Loyola, priest, 9.30am Mass (Fr. John’s intentions) st Saturday 1 August St Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church, 9.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10.00am Mass (for the Cavanagh family) nd Sunday 2 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) th 10.00am Mass (In thanksgiving – Tricia Coppin’s 50 birthday) followed by baptism of Henry Brown 6.00pm Mass (People of the parish) CONFESSION TIMES Weekdays: before or after Mass upon request. Saturday: 10.30am; Sundays: ½ hour before Mass CHURCH CLEANING st th th st th 31 Bridie; August 7 Sheila; 14 Sue; 21 Sue; 28 Tara COLLECTIONS LAST SUNDAY Offertory: £334.65, (Gift Aid: £152.96, loose plate: £181.69) + £94 approx by standing order. Second collection: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund: £107.03. Thank you. Second collection today: Day for Life. Next Sunday: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund. DAY FOR LIFE TODAY This year’s Day for Life aims to highlight why the Church believes that every life is worth living even when a person has lost all hope and feels suicidal, together with the vital role played by families and a compassionate parish community in supporting and sustaining those who may be struggling to cope. Today’s collection will go the Linacre Centre for Healthcare Ethics and other life-related activities supported by the Church. There will also be an appeal for new members of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC).

YEAR B

TODAY’S MASS TEXTS Entrance Antiphon Ps 67:6-7.36 God is in his holy dwelling; he will give a home to the lonely, he gives power and strength to his people. First Reading 2 Kings 4:42-44 They will eat and have some left over. Responsorial Psalm: Ps 144:10-11.15-18. R.v.16 R: You open wide your hand, O Lord, and grant our desires. All your creatures shall thank you O Lord, and your friends shall repeat their blessing. They shall speak of the glory of your reign and declare your might, O God. (R) The eyes of all creatures look to you and you give them their food in due time. You open wide your hand, grant the desires of all who live. (R) The Lord is just in all his ways and loving in all his deeds. He is close to all who call him, who call on him from their hearts. (R) Second Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6 One Body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Gospel Acclamation: John 6:63.68 Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia! Gospel: Mark 6:1-15 Jesus gave out as much as was wanted to all who were sitting ready. Preface of Sunday 5, Eucharistic Prayer 1 Communion Antiphon: Ps 102:2 O, bless the Lord, my soul, and remember all his kindness. INTERESTED IN JOINING THE TEAM OF FLOWER LADIES? You could if you wish work with one of them before going on the rota every 3 months. If you are interested please speak to one of them, their names are on the notice board. PRAYERS FOR THE SICK Please pray for all our sick parishioners, particularly Rita Redman and Jean Borucki. Names of parishioners who need our prayers can be placed in the box in the church foyer. VISIT OF RELICS OF ST THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX AYLESFORD TH TH 9 – 11 OCTOBER Leaflets containing further information about the visit are available in the church foyer. It promises to be a very successful event. Do ensure you are part of it. If you would like to go by coach or can offer a lift in your car please sign up on the notice board. READERS AND EXTRA-ORDINARY MINISTERS OF COMMUNION If you have not already received your copy by email please pick up your rota for August and September from the table in the foyer. Thank you. HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHAT IT IS TO BE CATHOLIC? (6) (From Fit for Mission? Church by Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue) Those who dissent from the authority of the Church forget they are Catholic.

WELCOMERS ROTA If you would like to help distributing the parish and children’s newsletter before the 10am Mass please sign up on the notice board. Email: [email protected]; Web: www.stsimon.org.uk; Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/; diocesan website: www.rcsouthwark.co.uk

FR. JOHN’S DESKTOP ‘NOW I CAN FOLLOW THE MASS’

Some weeks ago after Mass a parishioner proudly showed me her lovely new Sunday Missal. The only problem was that she had been unable to find the text of that Sunday’s Mass. It took just a few minutes to show her how to find the right pages. The next Sunday, she came to see me with a happy expression: ‘I was able to follow it today!’ This prompted me to make a mental note to encourage people once again to purchase a Sunday Missal. They can be bought very cheaply, but people who spend a little bit more find themselves very proud owners of a very valuable resource. Bringing a Missal to Mass helps you understand the structure of the Mass better. Marking up the Missal for a particular Sunday helps you anticipate and look forward to the next Mass, and you might even prepare by reading the prayers and the scripture readings at home before you come, or even during the week some days before coming, all of which helps you participate in the Mass more fruitfully. The more one prepares for Mass, the more fruitfully one attends at Mass. There is also the practical point that if, for some reason, you miss something that the reader or priest has read out, you can read it yourself. You can also re-read something that has struck you particularly, or that you have found difficult to understand at a first reading. Missals can be bought or ordered from the repository at the back of the church. Fr. John REGULAR EVENTS – COME ALONG! DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP after the 9.30am Mass on Tuesdays. Prayers of intercession for various needs and silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till 10.30am. CHOIR PRACTICE TUESDAYS 7.30PM Newcomers always welcome

VACANCIES AT MEDIAWATCH-UK Mediawatch-uk, who are campaigning for decency and respect across the media, currently have two vacancies details of which can be found on the notice board. There are also copies of their information and joining forms on the table in the foyer. WALSINGHAM LAST THURSDAY

BIBLE STUDY THURSDAYS 7.30PM Studying the Acts of the Apostles. Newcomers always welcome. YEAR OF PRAYER FOR PRIESTS Come and pray the Rosary for our priests 20 minutes before the morning Masses, Monday to Friday. All are welcome to join. MONTHLY PRAYER REQUESTS FOR PRIESTS August/September list now available in the church entrance. YEAR OF PRIESTHOOD A Daily Prayer for Priests Heavenly Father, grant that our priests be strengthened and healed by the power of the Eucharist they celebrate. May the Word they proclaim give them courage and wisdom. We pray that all those whom they seek to serve may see in them the love and care of Jesus our eternal High Priest. Who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen. Mary, Mother of the Church, look tenderly upon your sons, our priests. NOVENA IN HONOUR OF ST JEAN MARY VIANNEY Some copies of prayers in preparation for the feast of St Jean Mary, the patron of this Year of Priesthood, are available in the church entrance. Please take one for prayer. TORCHES Donations of £260, (£316 including gift aid) towards the new torches have been received. Thank you. The torches we were looking at have proved not to be suitable. Other possibilities are being looked at but £500+ is still about how much they will cost. Further donations will be gratefully received. Thank you. THE ROAD TO COMPOSTELLA – A PERSONAL TALE Susie Gray who rode her horse Apollo from Canterbury to Santiago de Compostela, one of the principal pilgrim destinations in Europe, is giving a talk on her pilgrimage at 7pm on this Thursday at the Dominican Priory, St Peter’s Lane, Canterbury. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The charity LIFE, who offer pregnancy counselling and care services, are looking for volunteers to be counsellors. Full counselling training is given of if you have counselling skills consider going along to help them. Contact Agnes Rees, the London co-ordinator on 07515578598 or email: [email protected] for details. VACANCY AT THE FRIARS, AYLESFORD A Lay Sacristan is needed who will be responsible for the daily running and upkeep of the shrine and chapels. Full details of this vacancy can be found on the notice board and a full job description is available on their website, www.thefriars.org.uk. th Closing date for applications: 9 August 2009.

All who participated agreed that we had a wonderful day. It was good to have a number of young people and families with us. Thanks to Viv and Eileen Conn for organising the coach. Photos above clockwise from top left: inside the Slipper Chapel, outside the Slipper Chapel, inside the Holy House in the Anglican shrine, the Holy Mile. PARISH PILGRIMAGE 2010 Although it was not possible to plan a parish pilgrimage overseas this year, it might be possible to do so next year. Some parishioners have mentioned the possibility of going to the famous Passion Play at Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany. (See notice board.) This play is only staged every ten years. There are a number of tours possible between May and th st September but a tour from 24 – 31 September has been arranged with the Southwark Archdiocese in mind. Prices range from £975 to £1,375 for a 7-night package, with 5 nights at a mountain village near Lake Como in Italy and 2 nights in Oberammergau itself. (There is also a 3 day (2 th night) tour from 15 – th 17 September priced £650 - £990.) If you are likely to be interested in going to Oberammergau, please sign up on the notice board or let me know. I will look into other possible pilgrimages when I have a response to this enquiry. Fr. John

To catch up on previous newsletters visit http://www.stsimon.org.uk/Newsletters/. Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/