Parish Newsletter 8th February 2009

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 8 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Education Sunday 10.00am Mass (Danny Kelly RIP) 12.00 noon Mass (Extraordinary form, Latin, 1962 Missal, Septuagesima Sunday) 6.00pm Mass (For the people of the parish) th Monday 9 6.45pm Mass (For the good health of Gertie Casey) th Tuesday 10 St. Scholastica, virgin 9.00am Mass (Derek Oldham RIP) followed by Divine Mercy Chaplet & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until 10.00am. th Wednesday 11 Our Lady of Lourdes (World Day of the Sick) 9.30am Mass (Ann Waldner‟s intentions) St. Simon‟s School Years 3 & 4 attending th Thursday 12 Seven Holy Founders of the Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary 6.45pm Mass (Extraordinary form, Latin, 1962 Missal) (Thanksgiving) th Friday 13 6.45pm Mass (Victor Dore-Boize RIP) th Saturday 14 SS Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop, patron of Europe, feast 9.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10.00am Mass (Pat Salmon RIP) th Sunday 15 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 10.00am Mass (Fr. John‟s intentions) 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. CHURCH CLEANING th th th th th 13 Sheila; 20 Sue; 27 Sue; March 6 Tara; 13 Bridie COLLECTIONS LAST SUNDAY Offertory: £305.06, (Gift Aid: £141.00, loose plate: £164.06) + £99 approx by standing order. To contribute by 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: £71.94. Thank you. Second collection today: Catholic Education. Next Sunday: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund. CRIB OFFERINGS Thank you for your kind offerings at the Crib which totalled £162.31. This will be sent to the Good Counsel Network to assist their work in helping women to keep their children rather than opting for abortion. READERS & EXTRA-ORDINARY MINISTERS OF COMMUNION Please pick up your rota for February and March. COUNTERS

8th FEBRUARY 2009 FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

TODAY’S MASS TEXTS Entrance Antiphon: Ps 94:6-7 Come, let us worship the Lord. Let us bow down in the presence of our maker, for he is the Lord our God. First Reading: Job 7:1-4.6-7 Restlessly I fret till twilight falls. Responsorial Psalm: Ps 146 R: Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted. Alleluia! Praise the Lord for he is good; sing to our God for he is loving: to him our praise is due. (R) The Lord builds up Jerusalem and brings back Israel‟s exiles, he heals the broken-hearted, he binds up all their wounds. He fixes the number of the stars; he calls each one by its name. (R) Our Lord is great and almighty; his wisdom can never be measured. The Lord raises the lowly; he humbles the wicked to the dust. (R) Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19.22-23 I should be punished if I did not preach the Gospel. Gospel Acclamation: John 8:12 Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord, anyone who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia! Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 He cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another. Preface of Sunday 3, Eucharistic Prayer 1 Communion Antiphon: Ps 106:8-9 Give praise to the Lord for his kindness, for his wonderful deeds towards men. He has filled the hungry with good things, he has satisfied the thirsty. PRAYERS FOR THE SICK Please pray for Jean Borucki, Sarah Shinn 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. SISTER CATHERINE Sister is recovering well from her operation, „making progress‟. ALTAR SERVERS DAY NEXT SUNDAY There will be an altar servers reunion next Sunday from 2.00pm ending with the evening Mass. Any servers who have not yet signed up please join those who have already. Thanks to those who have volunteered to help – more adults welcome. MONTHLY PRAYER REQUESTS FOR PRIESTS Please pick up the revised list for February and the list for March from the table in the foyer. It is most important that priests be encouraged by the knowledge that they are being supported by the prayers of the faithful. DIVINE MERCY HOUSE PRAYER GROUP A group of parishioners meets roughly once a month. You are welcome to join the group tomorrow at 16 Graveley Field, Singleton. Arrivals from 10.00am. Finish approx. 11.30. Prayer and social. Contact Teresa Davies 625799.

Please pick up your counters rota for February – May 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 th On 24 January the Holy Father revoked the excommunications which the four bishops of the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) incurred automatically when they were ordained by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without the required pontifical mandate. The furore surrounding the views of one of these bishops concerning the holocaust has rather overshadowed what was intended to be seen as a merciful act enabling the process of eventual reunion of the SSPX with the Catholic Church to begin. I reproduce here a recent statement from Cardinal Sean O‟Malley, Archbishop of Boston, which explains the situation rather well. (from http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/01/30/it-is-never-too-late-to-arise/) “Hello to you all! The Vatican announced this week that the Holy Father has lifted the excommunications of four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X. I was pleased with the news which shows, once again, the Holy Father‟s concern for unity and reconciliation in the Church… “This action follows the publication of the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum a year and a half ago, in which the Holy Father lifted previous restrictions on the celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal, commonly known as the Tridentine Mass. Just before the publication of the Apostolic Letter, I was privileged to be a part of a meeting of cardinals and bishops with the Holy Father in which he expressed his hope that his action would help convince those disaffected Catholics to return to full union with the Catholic Church. So, his outreach to the communities who follow these bishops is just one more manifestation of his ardent desire to bring these people (which some estimate to be as many as 1.5 million) back into the fold. We know that these are generally people who practise their faith and try to live a Christian life seriously but, unfortunately, I believe that they have been misled by their leadership. “Of course, lifting the excommunications was a first step; it does not regularize these bishops or the Society of St. Pius X, but it opens the way for a dialogue. This step was in response to a letter in which they professed their desire for full participation in the life of the Church. “It was tragic that one of the four bishops, Bishop Richard Williamson, had made outrageous statements about the Holocaust and about the September 11 attacks on the United States. It certainly raises questions as to the calibre of the leadership that the Society has. Additionally, as terrible as the comments were, it underscores the importance for the Holy Father to have increasing influence over those communities. “We are very sorry that the people in the Jewish community have been so pained and outraged by Bishop Williamson‟s statements. I think the Holy Father‟s statements and those of Cardinal Walter Kasper, chairman of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, have been very clear to dissociate the Catholic Church from those kinds of sentiments. I was pleased that the head of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, also repudiated the statements of Bishop Williamson.It is very important for us to always remember the Holocaust so that such an atrocity could never take place again. I recall the words of the Holy Father this week: „May the Shoah be for everyone an admonition against oblivion, negation and reductionism, because violence against a single human being is violence against all.‟” Fr John REGULAR EVENTS – COME ALONG! DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP after the 9.00am Mass on Tuesdays. Prayers of intercession for various needs and silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till 10am. MUSIC PRACTICE TUESDAYS 7.30PM Newcomers always welcome. BIBLE STUDY THURSDAYS 7.30PM Studying St Paul‟s letters to the Corinthians and Pope Benedict‟s Wednesday audiences on St Paul. EVANGELIUM – CATHOLIC FAITH ENQUIRY For all, Catholic or not, who would like to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith. Next meeting: 7.15pm this th Friday 13 February. Topic: The Trinity VOCATIONS RETREAT FOR WOMEN for women aged 18-30 considering the religious life from Friday th th 13 to Sunday 15 February at St. Joseph‟s Priory, Lymington. For more information, contact the Diocesan Vocations Office: [email protected] HELPERS OF GOD’S PRECIOUS INFANTS VIGIL The next vigil at the Marie Stopes abortion facility in Maidstone th will be on Tuesday 17 February led by Father Raphael CFR (Franciscan Friar of the Renewal) from 10.30 to 12 noon. See notice board for details. MASS IN CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY WITH ARCHBISHOP KEVIN MCDONALD AT TH AYLESFORD PRIORY 3PM SATURDAY 30 MAY Archbishop Kevin is celebrating this Mass and wants to specially invite all couples and their families in the Diocese who are st th th th th th celebrating their, 1 , 10 , 25 , 40 , 50 and 60 + wedding anniversary this year. One couple celebrating forty years has already requested an invitation. Please let Fr. John know if you qualify for a special anniversary invitation.

TODAY – EDUCATION SUNDAY In 1997 the Congregation for Catholic Education published a short document entitled “The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium”. In it we are reminded that parish and diocesan communities must devote special care to education and schools since, in the Catholic school, one can meet young people in an environment which favours their Christian formation. “The school fulfils its vocation to be a genuine experience of Church only if it takes its stand within the organic pastoral work of the Christian community.” Speaking of the calling of teachers, we read: “Teaching has an extraordinary moral depth and is one of man‟s most excellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write on inanimate material, but on the very spirits of human beings… Teachers and educators fulfil a specific Christian vocation and share an equally specific participation in the mission of the Church, to the extent that it depends chiefly on them whether the Catholic school achieves its purpose.” Mrs Elizabeth Willis, headteacher of our parish primary school, will say a few words today about Catholic Education and the vocation of school teachers. Teaching our young people is both challenging and a privilege, forming the next generation of citizens and passing on the Catholic faith, a vocation/career worth considering by all young men and women. Mr Ferdi McDermott, Principal of Chavagnes International College in France, has asked if he may mount a display about the college in the church hall for parishioners to visit after Mass. Please feel free to take a look. Further details about the school at www.chavagnes.org. PARISH FINANCES I intend to give a review of the parish‟s financial situation at all nd Masses on Sunday 22 February. Fr John.

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