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Thank you for your offerings last week of £1348.78 and £854.46 for the Maintenance Fund. Mass attendances were 695.
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Sunday 17/7/16 |
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
6.00pm Sheila & Austin Barradell – 50th Wedding Anniversary (Barradell Family)
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am Sheila Simon RIP (Foundation)
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Monday 18/7/16
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Feria
9.30am Sheila Simon RIP (F Simon)
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Tuesday 19/7/16 |
Feria
9.30am Margaret Thompson (M & S Howell)
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Wednesday 20/7//16 |
Feria/St Apollinarius
10.00am Joan Headington’s Son & Family (CWL) (Whole School Mass with St James School – please note change of time)
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Thursday 21/7/16 |
Feria/St Lawrence of Brindisi
9.30am Eileen Owen RIP (Simon Family)
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Friday 22/7/16 |
St Mary Magdalene
9.30am Nell Fasia RIP (J Craen)
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Saturday 23/7/16 |
Vigil Mass
6.00pm Johanna & William Ashton RIP (K Griffin)
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Sunday 24/7/16 |
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am David Bridle RIP (B Bridle)
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Confessions heard Saturday 5.00pm-5.45pm or by appointment. |
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Morning Prayers - Takes place Monday – Friday at 9.10am. All are welcome to attend. |
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Pondering the Word (Lectio Divina)
A quiet reflective look at the following Sunday’s Gospel. Mondays 11-12 noon here in the church. All welcome.
Fr David writes…
As social beings we find ourselves in different kinds of relationships throughout our lives. Although a contemporary of Freud, Moreno, the founder of psychodrama felt that the focus of psychotherapy should include not just the self, but the self in relationship with others. He also developed the concept of sociometry which seeks to explore and understand the roles that we choose to play throughout our lives. In our lives we have both a personal life and also a public role. Our relationships differ accordingly. People tend to see our public persona and relate to us on that level. And for professional reasons, it is good to make the distinction and the boundaries we need to be effective in our professional lives. We should learn how to create these healthy boundaries in order to safeguard ourselves, our profession and others. On the other hand we enter into intimate relationships with significant others. Sometimes these could be family but other times these intimate relationships are of a deliberate choice of ours. We feel that we can be ourselves with certain people without having to wear masks. Usually within these relationships we feel safe and trustful. And so we intuitively feel that we can be vulnerable if we wish and they are not going to abandon us. Obviously this happens in time. Some of us do struggle with trust issues because of our previous experience of abandonment when we were young. However healing happens once we find people who show us through experience that they are trustworthy and that we are intrinsically lovable. What a gift to find such people in life.
I believe that in today’s gospel Jesus did find such people in his life too. Jesus too had his public persona. In his ministry Jesus was a Rabbi. People wanted him to remain a Rabbi in their eyes. They did not want to listen to his personal pains and struggles. They wanted him to remain strong because they needed him as such. We know through the scriptures that many were following him because he performed miracles. Many wanted to be in his presence to listen to what he had to say because he nourished them. Others saw him as the Messiah – a political leader who was going to liberate them from underneath the yoke of the Romans. And that was fine by Jesus as it is ok with us too in our public roles. We do not need to be known intimately by everyone. Actually keeping some distance sometimes in some relationships is necessary. On the other hand, Jesus like us was gifted by very special relationships that in his moments of tiredness and emotional exhaustion, he could go to their house and allow them to minister to him. With them he could be just Jesus the man. These friends knew him as he was and he felt safe with them.
We know that Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus were one of these families. In this gospel passage, I imagine Jesus being tired emotionally and physically and wanted to unwind at their place. Martha was the active one. I can imagine her when she saw Jesus at the door, she did not even ask him whether he was hungry or not, she just assumed that he was and went into the kitchen to prepare for him something to eat. Some of us are like Martha. Some of us are doers. We assume what other people need and we deliver. These are good people – we find them in parishes as well. They are the ones who are the first “to do” when there is a need. We need Marthas in our lives. And yet maybe they need sometimes to stop and listen to the real needs of others.
On the other hand, there was Mary. Now Mary was a different kettle of fish altogether. She sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to him. She encountered him where he was. At this point in his life, Jesus needed more to be listened too than to be fed it seems. We know this because he valued Mary’s stance more than Martha’s. Poor Martha. In one of my favourite movies of all times The Hours, Richard tells his friend Clarissa Vaughan: “Ah Mrs Dalloway! Always giving parties. To cover the silence.” Some of us are frightened to stop because we are frightened of what we find when we do stop. So we use activism in order to escape ourselves – the pain. On the other hand if we have only Marys amongst us nothing would be done in the world. We need both. Action needs to be fuelled by a deep sense of discernment otherwise it could easily be reduced to mere activism. I think that this gospel passage though is inviting us to evaluate first of all in which category we find ourselves in. Are we a Martha or a Mary? And also to affirm the importance of listening and being listened to. I think especially in our more significant relationships we need to encounter each other on that very deep level. Let us thank God for the gift of intimate encounters.
The Pastoral Parish Council (PPC)
The next PPC meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th July at 8.00pm in the Community Centre, to which all parishioners are welcome to attend. If you would like to have any issues raised at the meeting (whether you are attending or not), please email the Secretary of the PPC at ppc@stjamespettswood.org
“Drop-In” – Evening Surgery
The next Surgery will take place on Tuesday 19th July, 5.00pm-7.00pm. Please call at 281a Crescent Drive – no appointments necessary.
After Mass on Sunday
Please do come in to the Community Centre after both the 9.15am and 11.00am Mass on Sunday for a coffee. All are invited.
Summer Prize Draw - all Cash Prizes: 1st - £500, 2nd - £250 & 3rd £100
Please support this draw which will take place this Sunday 17th July. Tickets are being sold after each Mass at the back of the church.
Parish Groups
Dad & Me
The next session to take place on Saturday 23rd July 10.00am-11.30am in the Community Centre.
Appeal from Knights of St Columba
Please continue to bring in your used postage stamps. If they are on postcards, it is fine to donate the postcard as well. Many thanks for your continued support.
Youth of the Parish
Youth Retreat 30th September-2nd October 2016 – few remaining spaces!
The Parish Youth Team are organising a retreat on the above dates at St Vincent’s Centre Whitstable. All young adults that have been confirmed are invited to attend this retreat. The cost will be £75.00.
If you could confirm your interest to the Parish Office via telephone 01689 827100 or email parish.office@stjamespettswood.org.
The youth of the Parish are encouraged to join the St James Catholic Youth Ministry – CYM Facebook page to find out all the up to date news on events that are happening within our church.
Christ The King Youth Day – 19th November
The Catholic Youth Ministry Christ the King Youth Day will take place on Saturday 19th November here at St James from 12.00pm-5.30pm and will be folowed by a youth Mass at 6.00pm. There will be activites throughout the day and refreshments will be provided. This event is open to all young people across the Bromley Deanery in school years 7 and above. If you would like to attend please inform the Parish Office.
Deanery Events
Deanery Pilgrimage to Cathedral
There is a home-school-parish deanery pilgrimage to St George’s Cathedral Southwark taking place on Saturday 17th September 10.30am for 11.00am. It would be great to have some parishioners at the service representing our parish. If you are able to attend please notify the Parish Office.
Clergy Support Fund Meeting – Monday 16th 8.00pm in the Community Centre
Supporting the sick and retired priests of our Diocese. This campaign is an opportunity for us to show our support, to remember that our retired priests are still part of our family of the Church and to ensure they have the care they need when they fall sick.
Parish Garden Clearance
Do you have a spare hour or so to help clear up the Parish gardens? Then please meet up with Frank and his team on Saturday 23rd July from 10am. Thank You.
Message from Martin Smith - I ran the British 10k for the Manna Centre
Hurray! I finished the British 10k on 10th July and with your support we managed to raise over £1,250 for the Manna Centre. This will greatly support their fantastic work for the homeless and those in need. After many weeks of training as well as encouragement from many people, I managed to run the race in 49 mins and 37 seconds! I'm now looking forward to the parish fun run today. Thank you very much to all who kindly sponsored me and to the Justice & Peace group who helped me raise sponsorship. There will be someone at the back of Church this and next weekend to collect any remaining sponsorship money. My just giving webpage is still open if anyone would still like to sponsor me: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/runningmanna
Annual Parish Feast
Come and Celebrate St James’ Feast Day on Sunday 17th July between 3-5pm!
This year we are celebrating our patron saint’s feast day with a 1950s themed garden party and the annual parish fun run. Everyone is welcome.
At 2pm - Registration for the fun run will start at 2.00pm at the entrance to Jubilee Park next to St James’ Primary School. The run will start promptly at 2.30pm and finish in the parish garden.
At 3pm -The tea party starts at 3pm and entry will cost £1. Food will be available to buy including hotdogs, scones, cakes, tea, coffee, and drinks. There will be face painting and music too - what’s not to like! You can bring a picnic too if you prefer.
If you have previously purchased a £5 or £2.50 ticket for the Tea Party, please bring your ticket to the back of the church where we will give you a refund or you can do this on the day.
The party will include prize giving for the winning runners and the summer raffle prize draw.
Who was St James The Great?
James, son of Zebedee was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, and traditionally considered the first apostle to be martyred. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle, the beloved disciple and probably the elder of the two. He is called James the Great to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus and James the Just. James the Great is the patron saint of Spain and as such is often identified as Santiago. His parents see, to have been people of means. Zebedee, his father, was fisherman of the Sea of Galilee, who probably lived I or near Bethsaida. Present Galilee, Israel, perhaps in Capharnaum; and had some boatmen or hired men. Salome, his mother was one of the pious women who afterwards followed Christ and ministered unto him of their substance and his brother John was personally known to the high-priest and must have had wherewithal to provide for the Mother of Jesus. It is probable that his brother had not received the technical training of the rabbinical schools; in this sense they were unlearned and without any official position among the Jews. But according to the social rank of their parents, they must have been men of ordinary education, in the common walks of Jewish life. James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him. James was one of the only three apostles whom Jesus selected to bear witness to his Transfiguration. James and his brother wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but were rebuked by Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles records that “Herod the King” had James executed by sword. He is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. He is thus traditionally believed to be the first of the twelve apostles martyred for his faith. Saint James is the patron saint of Spain and according to legend, his remains are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The traditional pilgrimage to the grave of the Saint known as the “Way of St James” has been the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics from the Early Middle Ages onwards. The feast of St James is celebrated on the 25th July on the liturgical calendars of the Roman Catholics, Anglican, Lutheran and certain Protestant churches. He is commemorated on the 30th April in the Orthodox Christian Calendar. James’ emblem was the scallop shell and pilgrims to his shrine often wore that symbol on their hats or clothes.
As a parish, we are celebrating the Feast of St James this weekend – 16th -17th, before the school holidays commence.
Happy Feast to all the parishioners of St James!