Parish Newsletter Sunday 12th July 2009

St Simon Stock Catholic Church

12th JULY 2009

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

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY

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 12 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Sea Sunday 10.00am Mass (People of the parish) 12.00noon Mass (Latin, 1962 Missal – sixth Sunday after Pentecost) 6.00pm Mass (Fr. Augustine Measures OSB) th Monday 13 St Mildred, abbess 9.30am Mass (Holy Souls) th Tuesday 14 St Camillus de Lellis, priest 9.30am Mass (Peggy Fairess RIP) followed by Divine Mercy Chaplet & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until 10.30am th Wednesday 15 St Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church 9.30am Mass (Donor’s intentions) th Thursday 16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel 9.30am Mass (Holy Souls) th Friday 17 9.30am Mass (Lawrence Selling RIP) St. Simon’s School leavers Mass th Saturday 19 Our Lady 9.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 10.00am Mass (Kathleen Rogers) th Sunday 19 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) 10.00am Mass (Betty Gogarty RIP) 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 th th st th th 17 Sue; 24 Tara; 31 Bridie; August 7 Sheila; 14 Sue COLLECTIONS LAST SUNDAY Offertory: £308.33, (Gift Aid: £177.02, loose plate: £131.31) + £94 approx by standing order. Second collection: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund: £112.35. Thank you. Second collection today: The Apostleship of the Sea. Next Sunday: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund. TODAY IS SEA SUNDAY Today’s collection goes to help support the work of chaplains to seafarers provided by the Apostleship of the Sea. Many go through terrible hardship and the port chaplains are often the only ones they can turn to. Please give generously in today’s second collection and remember seafarers in your prayers. See the notice board for a Pastoral Message for Sea Sunday from Bishop Tom Burns, Bishop Promoter of the AOS in England and Wales. PARISH BARBECUE Thank you to all who supported last Sunday’s barbecue after the 10am Mass. It was a lovely sunny day.

IN ORDINARY TIME SEA SUNDAY YEAR B

TODAY’S MASS TEXTS Entrance Antiphon Ps 16:15 In my justice I shall see your face, O Lord; when your glory appears, my joy will be full. First Reading Amos 7:12-15 Go, prophesy to my people. Responsorial Psalm: Ps 84 R: Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his people. His help is near for those who fear him and his glory will dwell in our land. (R) Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven. (R) The Lord will make us prosper and our earth shall yield its fruit. Justice shall march before him and peace shall follow his steps. (R) Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14 Before the world was made, God chose us. 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 6:7-13 He began to send them out. Preface of Sunday 3, Eucharistic Prayer 3 Communion Antiphon: Ps 83:4-5 The sparrow even finds a home, the swallow finds a nest wherein to place her young, near to your altars, Lord of hosts, my King, my God! How happy they who dwell in your house! For ever they are praising you. PRAYERS FOR THE SICK Please pray for all our sick parishioners, particularly Rita Redman, Ann Pullen and Mr. O.V. Baby. Names of parishioners who need our prayers can be placed in the box in the church foyer. All our sick parishioners, named and un-named, are remembered in our prayers. MESSAGE OF THANKS FROM ARCHBISHOP KEVIN I wish to express my sincere thanks to all those who took part in the Diocesan Day to Celebrate the Year of St. Paul at Aylesford th on Saturday 27 June. It was a vibrant and memorable celebration. Over 3000 people from parishes and deaneries across the diocese came together as one family in a great spirit of joy and thankfulness to listen to the Word of God both in the morning Mass and the afternoon liturgy. I wish to thank in particular the Carmelite Friars at Aylesford for their warm welcome and all those who worked so hard to make the Day such a success. I encourage you, as I did on the day, to continue to listen attentively to the readings of St. Paul, particularly at the Sunday Mass and to read his Letters.  Kevin

ACTUAL CHURCH BULLETIN BLOOPERS Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get. 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 Things I’m asked In a shop the other day, after I had made my enquiry of the shop assistant, seeing that I was a churchman the assistant asked me: ‘Can I ask you something?’ He then asked if someone who is not baptised could be a godparent at a ‘christening’. He explained that two people had asked him to be a godparent to their children but that he himself was not baptised. These baptisms are presumably taking place in the Church of England and I’m not sure what, if any, is the C of E’s position on this. I advised the young man that his friends had paid him a great compliment in considering him a suitable godparent, but that his instinct was correct that it does not seem right that someone who is not himself a Christian can be a godparent at a Christian baptism. The Catholic Church’s law is that only Catholics (or members of the Eastern Orthodox Churches) can be godparents at a Catholic baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1255) says that the godparents ‘must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptised – child or adult – on the road of Christian life’ and that their help is important for the grace of Baptism to unfold. The Catechism says that ‘their task is a truly ecclesial function’, i.e. it is a function that they receive from the Church and carry out within the Church, and this function cannot be entrusted to one who is not a member of the Church. Very often, Catholics ask to have good friends of theirs or family members who are not Catholics as godparents of their children. As long as they are baptised, these non-Catholics can stand alongside the Catholic godparent(s) as Christian witnesses, but they do not receive from the Church the role of godparent, even if they themselves wish of their own initiative ‘to help the newly baptised on the road of Christian life.’ Can a Catholic be a godparent at a non-Catholic baptism? Whilst a Catholic can be a godparent to someone who is to be baptised into an Eastern Orthodox Church, for the same reasons as given above a Catholic cannot be a godparent at a Church of England, Methodist, Baptist etc. baptism for he/she would somehow receive a function from a church or ecclesial community to which he/she does not belong. He/she can, however, be a Christian witness to the baptism. We do treat the Eastern Orthodox Churches differently from communities such as the Church of England. The Orthodox have retained the apostolic succession, valid priesthood, Eucharist and other sacraments. The ordination of Anglican ministers, however, is considered absolutely null and void. Why is this? That is perhaps a matter for another ‘Desktop’. 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 No practice this week BIBLE STUDY THURSDAYS 7.30PM Studying the Acts of the Apostles. This week’s meeting takes place at Teresa Davies’ house. Tel: 625799. Newcomers always welcome. NATURAL FERTILITY AWARENESS Greg Clovis from Family Life International is coming at 11am on th Saturday 18 July to speak about Natural Fertility Awareness, also commonly known as Natural Family Planning. All are welcome to hear about the natural and moral way of regulating fertility. Suitable for married couples, those preparing for th marriage, parents, young people 16+. If you can’t come on 18 , th he will be here again on 25 . YEAR FOR PRIESTS Some parishioners have decided to gather to pray the Rosary for our priests 20 minutes before the morning Masses Monday to Friday. All are welcome to join. PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS God our Father, you sent your son, Jesus, into the world, and He in turn, through the Holy Spirit, sent the apostles and their successors to continue your work as teacher, priest and shepherd. We ask you to choose from among us in our diocese priests, brothers and sisters who will willingly give their lives in your service and seek to make you better known and loved. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen CHURCH MAINTENANCE UPDATE As you may have noticed, the timbers surrounding the church roof are being restored and repainted. This is essential upkeep that has to be done from time to time. Thank you for your generous contributions to the maintenance fund to enable the church to be properly maintained.

FATHER JOHN’S WISH LIST People sometimes suggest that I should let the parish know if there is anything I would particularly like to buy for the parish in case someone or some people would like to offer contributions, or to buy in memory of a deceased loved one or parishioner, etc. I would very much like to get a nice set of torches, candles that servers carry in procession and which they bear particularly during the Eucharistic Prayer and Consecration. The set of four torches and base in the illustration would cost £537. They are made of lacquered brass on a wood pole. They will be sent to us in a few weeks for me to have a look at and if they prove to be what we need I should like to buy them. WELCOME BACK TO FATHER SEBASTIAN VANIYAPURACKAL th Fr Sebastian will be staying in the presbytery from Friday 17 to th Sunday 19 July. WALSINGHAM VIDEO All, but particularly those going on the Walsingham pilgrimage on rd 23 July, are invited to a showing of ‘Virgin by the Sea’, a 40 minute video about the National Shrine of Our Lady at th Walsingham, at 7.30pm on Monday 20 July in the presbytery. IMPORTANT – MOBILE PHONE DATABASE Early next week all UK mobiles will be on a directory which will mean that anyone will be able to access the numbers. It is easy to unsubscribe but it must be done before the beginning of next week to make sure that you are ex-directory. You could be swamped by unsolicited messages and calls. Removal is recommended by the BBC:.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/ hi/programmes/working_lunch/8091621.stm.The Directory of Mobile Phone numbers goes live next week. All numbers including those belonging to children will be open to cold calling and the general abuse that less scrupulous telesales people subject us too. To remove your number go to their website and click on Ex-directory (you need your mobile phone with you to do this, they text you a code): http://www.118800.co.uk. HAVE WE FORGOTTEN WHAT IT IS TO BE CATHOLIC? (4) (From Fit for Mission? Church by Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue) Those who deny they are sinners and avoid confession forget they are Catholic.

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