Parish Newsletter Sunday 5th April 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 5 Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord (B) 10.00am Mass with solemn entrance and blessing of palms (begins in Church Hall) (Tony Shanny RIP) 5.15pm Stations of the Cross 6.00pm Mass with simple entrance and blessing of palms (For the people of the Parish) th Monday 6 9.30am Mass (Janet Dorey RIP) th Tuesday 7 9.00am Mass (Gabriel & Nial McAvinue RIP) followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Divine Mercy chaplet till 10.00am 7.00pm Penitential Service with Confessions th Wednesday 8 9.30am Mass (Marie, Patrick, Annie & Hugh Treacy, Phylis Wood and Sarah Mills RIP) THE EASTER TRIDUUM th

Thursday 9 Maundy Thursday 8.00pm Mass of the Lord‟s Supper (Miss S. Foumia RIP) followed by watching before the Blessed Sacrament at the Altar of Repose until midnight 11.50pm Night Prayer (Compline) th Friday 10 Good Friday Celebration of the Lord’s Passion (a day of fasting and abstinence) 9.00am Office of Readings and Morning Prayer 9.40am Family Stations of the Cross 2.40pm Divine Mercy Novena commences 3.00pm Solemn Commemoration of the Passion of Our Lord th Saturday 11 Holy Saturday 9.00am Office of Readings and Morning Prayer 9.45am Blessing of Easter food Celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord 8.30pm

Easter Vigil Mass begins outside with the Service of Light (People of the parish) th Sunday 12 Easter Sunday (B) The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ 10.00am Mass (Bill & Philip Major RIP) 12.00noon Mass (Latin, 1962 Missal) (James Beach RIP) 6.00pm Mass in Polish Preface of Palm Sunday, Eucharistic Prayer 2 CONFESSIONS TIMES IN HOLY WEEK Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: before and after Mass Good Friday: 10.15am; 4.00pm; CHURCH CLEANING th th th st th April 10 Tara; 17 Bridie; 24 Sheila; May 1 Sue; 8 Sue COLLECTIONS LAST WEEK Offertory: £399.66 (Gift Aid: £176.50, loose plate: £223.16) + £99 approx by standing order. To contribute by a regular standing order please ask for a form. Second collection: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund: £142.65 Thank you. Second collection today: Flowers for Easter.

5th APRIL 2009 PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD YEAR B

STATIONS OF THE CROSS Today at 5.15pm and Good Friday at 9.40am HOLY WEEK AND EASTER LITURGY Please ensure you have a copy of the separate sheet with times of services over the coming two weeks. PARISH PENITENTIAL SERVICE This Tuesday at 7.00pm. Visiting priests will be available to hear confessions. Do make every effort to attend as a family this Lenten preparation for Easter when we renew the rejection of sin that we or our parents on our behalf promised at our baptism. WIELKOPOSTNY SAKRAMENT POKUTY Wtorek 7-ciego kwietnia o godz. 19.00, spowiedż także w języku polskim. THE EASTER TRIDUUM Although they are not of obligation, the three ceremonies of the Mass of the Lord‟s Supper (Thursday 8pm), the Solemn Commemoration of the Lord‟s Passion (Friday 3pm) and the Easter Vigil (Saturday 8.30pm) are at the heart of our celebration of Easter. Do make every effort to attend all three if you can. GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION The annual collection for the Holy Places in Jerusalem takes place during the 3pm Solemn Liturgy. Your customary generosity is vital for the preservation of these holy sites. CHURCHES TOGETHER GOOD FRIDAY PROCESSION Commences at 11.00am at St Mary‟s Church in the town centre, ending at the Bandstand. All are invited to take part in this joint act of prayer and witness. BLESSING OF FOOD ON HOLY SATURDAY This is a custom which is very common in Poland but not exclusive to Polish Catholics. All are welcome to participate in the ceremony next Saturday morning at 9.45am. If you wish to bring some food for blessing, prepare it in a basket or similar. Foods typically included in the basket are bread, meat (e.g. ham, stuffed veal, suckling pig or lamb, sausage, bacon etc.), dairy products (cheese, butter), eggs… To see a photo from last year go the parish blog and search on „Easter food‟. You can also find out more by Googling „Blessing of Easter Food‟. THE EASTER COLLECTION Your kind offerings at Easter – whatever you can manage in these difficult financial times – are your personal gift to the parish priest and are much appreciated. A priest‟s income is principally whatever he receives from the parish (mainly Mass offerings). So the collections at Christmas and Easter form an important supplement, enabling him to meet personal expenses such as dental and optician's bills, clothing, holiday, etc. Priests must also pay Income Tax on benefits in kind such as food, heat and light, and use of the furniture in the Presbytery. Envelopes are available in the foyer for those who are not part of the Gift Aid Scheme. To conform to Inland Revenue regulations, cheques should be made payable to "St. Simon Stock Catholic Church". If you are going to be away at Easter, please be sure to give your offering before you go away or when you return. Many thanks.

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 On Friday it was announced that the Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Vincent Nichols, currently archbishop of Birmingham, as the next archbishop of Westminster to succeed Cardinal Cormac Murphy O‟Connor. Although Westminster is a different diocese, its archbishop occupies a role of primacy amongst the bishops of England and Wales. Archbishop Nichols‟ appointment is therefore significant for all Catholics in those countries. Archbishop Nichols will be st installed at Westminster Cathedral on 21 May, feast of the Ascension in the Roman calendar. Let us pray that he may never lack the assistance of the Holy Spirit to govern his diocese wisely as a shepherd in the image of Christ and to be an effective witness to the Catholic faith to the people of our nation. The G20 meeting occupied much news time last week. Pope Benedict wrote a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown invoking Almighty God‟s abundant blessings upon the London Summit as it sought for ways to resolve the current financial crisis. He also reminded Mr Brown that the root of the financial problem is an ethical one. “Finance, commerce and production systems are contingent human creations which, if they become objects of blind faith, bear within themselves the roots of their own downfall. The only true and solid foundation is faith in the human person. For this reason all the measures proposed to rein in this crisis must seek, ultimately, to offer security to families and stability to workers and … to restore ethics to the financial world.” The Pope also pointed out the lack of representation of African nations: “SubSaharan Africa is represented by just one State and some regional organizations. This situation must prompt a profound reflection among the Summit participants, since those whose voice has least force in the political scene are precisely the ones who suffer most from the harmful effects of a crisis for which they do not bear responsibility. Furthermore, in the long run, it is they who have the most potential to contribute to the progress of everyone.” He called for a “renewed faith in the human person” and, above all, “faith in the poorest men and women – of Africa and of other regions of the world affected by extreme poverty.” How right Pope Benedict is! Today St Paul tells us: “Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave … and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.” Learning from and imitating Our Lord‟s example of humility will remind us of the necessity that we too should become slaves, servants, of God and of all men and women, particularly those who are poorest. “Faith in the human person”, as Pope Benedict put it, for it was for each and every human person that God‟s only Son accepted death on the Cross so that the human person might be raised high with Him. Fr John PRAYERS FOR THE SICK Please pray for all our sick parishioners, particularly Caroline Greenwood and Catherine Lowe. If you know of anyone who needs our prayers at the present time please place their names in the box in the church foyer. All our sick parishioners, named and un-named, are remembered in our prayers. THOSE WHO HAVE DIED Your prayers are requested for the repose of the souls of: AGNES McNICOLL, late of Baileys Field, who died last Saturday th 28 March. We also pray for her husband Harry and for her family. Agnes‟ body will be received into the church at 4pm on th Wednesday 15 April and her Requiem Mass will take place at th 10.00am on Thursday 16 . JOAN WILLIAMS, late of Bateman‟s Corner, Bethersden, who rd died last Friday 3 April. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE REGULAR EVENTS – COME ALONG! 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 10.00am. MUSIC PRACTICE 7.30PM Next practice – tomorrow, 7.30pm. Practising for the Easter Triduum. BIBLE STUDY THURSDAYS 7.30PM No meeting this week. Do join us on Thursday nd week as we begin St Paul‟s 2 letter to the Corinthians. EVANGELIUM – CATHOLIC FAITH ENQUIRY For all, Catholic or not, who would like to deepen their th knowledge of the Catholic faith. Next meeting: Friday 17 April. Topic: The Eucharist. DIVINE MERCY HOUSE PRAYER GROUP You are welcome to join the group at the next meeting on Wednesday at 23 Cleves Way, Ashford. Arrivals from 10.15 am; finish approx. 11.30. Prayer and social. Contact Kathleen 625428.

DIVINE MERCY NOVENA The nine days of prayer to the Divine Mercy commence on Good Friday and end on the Sunday after Easter Sunday. The chaplet will be recited in the church at the following times: Good Friday: 2.40pm; Easter Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: after morning Mass; Easter Thursday: 6.30pm (before evening Mass); Easter Friday: after 9.30am Mass; Easter Saturday: 9.45am (before morning Mass); Divine Mercy Sunday: see special programme commencing 2.30pm, ending with Mass at 4.00pm (poster on notice board.) If you cannot attend, you are invited to make the novena privately. HOUSE BLESSINGS Easter is a particularly fitting time to have one‟s house blessed. If any parishioners have not had their home blessed, please let me know and I shall be happy to visit and bless your home. If you would like to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart at the same time, see Viv & Eileen at the repository so that they can order one for you if necessary. Fr. John PRO-LIFE PRAYER VIGIL MAIDSTONE TH WEDNESDAY 15 APRIL Fr. John will lead this vigil on behalf of The Helpers of God‟s Precious Infants. Commences 10.30am after the morning Mass at St. Francis Church, Maidstone, with a prayerful and peaceful procession to the Marie Stopes abortion facility in Brewer Street. Ends 12 noon. For fuller details see poster on notice board. RD

DAY TRIP TO WALSINGHAM – 23 JULY A parishioner has proposed a parish day trip on the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. Details are on the notice board. The price is per seat and is calculated on a break-even basis assuming a full coach. Please sign up on the notice board. TH

YEAR OF ST PAUL – AYLESFORD 27 JUNE “PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS” To celebrate the Year of St Paul as a diocese, Archbishop Kevin invites us all to attend this special day at Aylesford. Many will remember the wonderful celebration at Aylesford for the Year of the Eucharist in 2005. There will probably be a joint coach for the two Ashford parishes, but if numbers merit we could organise a separate one. Please indicate interest by signing on the board. This will also be the Deanery Pilgrimage for the year.

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