Parish Newsletter 28th December 2008

St Simon Stock Catholic Church Brookfield Road, South Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU Tel: 01233 622399

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 MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS th Sunday 28 The Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph (B) 10.00am Mass (For the people of the parish) 6.00pm Mass (Private Intention) th Monday 29 St Thomas of Canterbury, bishop and martyr, feast 9.00am Mass (Deceased family & friends of Mr. & Mrs. R. Webb & all souls in purgatory) th Tuesday 30 Sixth day of the Christmas Octave 9.00am Mass (Sid, Jeanette, parents, relatives, friends, Dinan, Kennedy & Hogan families and all Holy Souls RIP) followed by Divine Mercy Chaplet & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until 10.00 st Wednesday 31 Seventh day of the Christmas Octave 9.00am Mass (Deceased members of Conn, Hansell & Demuth families and friends RIP) st Thursday 1 January The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God 10.00am Mass (Donald & Margaret Swaffer; Ellen & Steven Foreman RIP) 12.00noon Low Mass (in Latin, 1962 Missal) (Octave Day of the Nativity of the Lord) nd Friday 2 SS Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church 9.00am Mass (Ray Hook RIP) rd Saturday 3 The Most Holy Name of Jesus 9.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10.00am Mass (For the homeless – Mother‟s Group) th Sunday 4 The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ 10.00am Mass (Deceased members of the Shanny family RIP) 6.00pm Mass (For the people of the parish) CONFESSIONS/CONSULTATIONS Saturday: 10.30am, Sunday 9.30am, 5.30pm. Weekdays: before or after Mass upon request. January 2

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CHURCH CLEANING th th rd th Bridie; 9 Sheila; 16 Sue; 23 Sue; 30 Tara

COLLECTIONS LAST SUNDAY Offertory: £347.13, (Gift Aid: £165.85, loose plate: £181.28) + £99 approx by standing order. To contribute by a regular standing order please ask for a form. If you are a tax payer and are not already using the Gift Aid scheme, please ask for a Gift Aid form. Second collection: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund: £100.69. Thank you. Second collection today and next Sunday: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund. REPOSITORY There are still calendars and diaries available in the repository. FUNERAL OF TONY SHANNY Tony‟s body will be received into the church at 4.45pm on th Monday 12 January with his funeral Mass at 10.00 am Tuesday th 13 January. Please remember his family in your prayers. The delay in celebrating the Funeral Mass due to the Christmas break can be a difficult experience for families.

28th DECEMBER 2008 THE HOLY FAMILY JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH YEAR B

TODAY’S MASS TEXTS Entrance Antiphon: Luke 2:16 The shepherds hastened to Bethlehem, where they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. First Reading: Genesis 15:1-6. 21:1-3 Your heir shall be your own flesh and blood. Responsorial Psalm: Ps 104: 1-6.8-9. R. vv.7.8 R: He, the Lord, is our God. He remembers his covenant for ever. Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. O sing to him sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works. (R) Be proud of his holy name, let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. (R) Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, the judgements he spoke. O children of Abraham, his servant, O sons of the Jacob he chose. (R) He remembers his covenant for ever, his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. Second Reading: Hebrews 11:8.11-12.17-19 The faith of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac. Gospel Acclamation: Heb 1:1-2 Alleluia, alleluia! At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. Alleluia! Gospel: Luke 2:22-40 The child grew, filled with wisdom. Preface of Christmas 3, Eucharistic Prayer I Communion Antiphon: Baruch 3:38 Our God has appeared on earth, and lived among men. PRAYERS FOR THE SICK Please keep in your prayers Janet Dorey who has been admitted to hospital again, Jean Boruki and all our sick parishioners. If you know of anyone who needs our prayers at the present time, please place their names in the box in the Church foyer. MONTHLY PRAYER FOR PRIESTS CALENDAR Calendars for January and February are now available in the church foyer. Do take one and offer prayers at home each day for clergy serving in our diocese. CRIB OFFERINGS The Crib will remain on display throughout the Christmas season nd and up to 2 February, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas). Your kind donations to the Crib will go to the Good Counsel Network to support their work in reaching more abortion-minded women to change their hearts. CHRISTMAS CARD REMINDER Please remember to check the Christmas card rack in case someone has put a card there for you. There are many unclaimed. If you have put a card for someone, do ensure it has

Email: [email protected]; Web: www.stsimon.org.uk; Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/; diocesan website: www.rcsouthwark.co.uk

FROM FATHER JOHN’S DESKTOP This week it seems appropriate simply to reflect on our parish celebration on Christmas Day. We came to do the most solemn thing we ever do in our lives: celebrate Holy Mass. We know the Mass, we are familiar with it, the Mass is, basically, always the same. Yet the Mass is always new! The Church‟s liturgy never lacks the power to renew and restore us as our minds and hearts are raised to God. Christmas would not be Christmas without the Mass. As we resist the removal of „Christ‟ from Christmas, so could we never remove the „Mass‟ from Christmas. Joy was the all-pervading sentiment amongst those who participated in the various Masses. Many visitors had come to join us and members of their families. Their presence always enhances the joy and happiness of this Christmas season, both at home and with us in Church. Among those present were some who were grieving the recent death of a beloved family member. Perhaps there were others too whom I didn‟t know about. There are parishioners who are very sick, some of whom were unable to be with us. There are families who have had to cut back on expenses, or people dealing with crises in their professional or working lives. Hopefully the joy of Christmas gives them renewed hope and nd trust in God whose revelation of love we recognise in Christ. (Cf. 2 Preface of Christmas) Our Midnight Mass was the principal Mass and it was gratifying to see a full church, people having to stand for lack of sufficient seating. The Polish Mass was, predictably, a packed house and they, too, celebrated the birth of Christ with great joy. The other Masses, were all well attended and everyone appeared to be filled with the happiness of the feast. Many, many people commented on how beautiful the Church looked. I would like to thank all who make it thus: those who clean, arrange flowers, and the parishioner – who wants no credit – who made the new frontal for the altar. We had a full complement of young servers at the midnight Mass, with a couple at the Vigil, one at the Day Mass and three at the Polish Mass, in addition to our parish MC who served at all Masses. Our servers‟ standard of service has often been noted by parishioners and I would like to thank and encourage them all. Our choir and organists are heroically generous in the time they give for rehearsals, and this paid off with beautiful music for our Midnight Mass. They deserve our special thanks – and a little break! There are others who are deserving of thanks: our readers, the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion who help at Mass and/or take Communion to the sick and housebound throughout the year, those who promote the social life of the parish, maintain the church hall, run the repository, take and count the collections, etc. On a personal note, I have been uplifted by the love that has been shown to me in so many ways: gifts received (plenty of liquid!), the Christmas offerings, cards, words, gestures… and above all the support you offer by holding me in your prayers. I depend very much on these. There is nothing I pray more about and for than the wellbeing of my parishioners. You are the reason I am here and why I am a parish priest. I love each and every one of you and, like my patron the Apostle John, want your joy to be complete. (Cf. 1 Jn 4) I know that not everyone agrees with all I do, and some have decided to attend Mass elsewhere. This is a cause of sadness and sorrow for me. All I would ask is that everyone unites around our wonderful faith in the God Who became Man. May nothing prevent us from being „caught up st in the love of the God we cannot see.‟ (1 Preface of Christmas) On this feast of the Holy Family, may Jesus, Mary and Joseph be at the heart of your families that they too may be holy. And if you feel you have no family, may the Holy Family – and the Church – be your family. With my renewed blessings for a Happy and Holy Christmastide and new year. Fr John been taken. The rack will be removed next Sunday and any remaining cards discarded. REGULAR EVENTS DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP after the 9.00am Mass on Tuesday. Prayers of intercession for various needs and silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till 10am. WEEKLY MUSIC PRACTICE TUESDAYS 7.30 Newcomers always welcome (not necessarily to join the choir, maybe just to learn something new). BIBLE STUDY Thursdays 7.30pm th Next meeting: 8 January. EVANGELIUM – CATHOLIC FAITH ENQUIRY For all, Catholic or not, who would like to deepen their th knowledge of the Catholic faith. Next meeting: 9 January. Topic: The Incarnation. ARCHBISHOP KEVIN’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE It is a simple fact of experience that some things change and some things stay the same. At one level Christmas always remains the same: its meaning is perennial. Jesus Christ, the Son of God became man for our sake. He is our saviour and our annual

celebration of his birth takes us to the heart of the meaning of Christmas. And yet Christmas is always different because the context in which we celebrate it and the vantage point from which we remember it are always changing. This year we celebrate Christmas during a world financial crisis which is a source of fear and anxiety for us all. The cycle of human suffering is a constant in life but the focus of that suffering can shift and change. This year once again we grieve for the suffering in the Middle East and not least in the land of Christ‟s birth. We think too of the continent of Africa, so beset by poverty, sickness, and violence. And we have the threat of environmental disaster which threatens all life on our planet. In the diocese we have also been deeply affected by the violence that tragically has become part of the life of London. What is crucial is that these concerns do not distract us from our focus on the child born in the manger. Only in contemplation of the Christ child can we find perspective and hope. There is nowhere else to look. As we visit the crib this Christmas and as we celebrate Christmas Mass let us bring in our hearts both our own troubles and the troubles of the world in which we live. Let us ask for the grace to be able to join with the angels in singing with joy and conviction “Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.” I pray that you, your families and those whom you love will receive every blessing and happiness this Christmas and throughout 2009. Archbishop of Southwark