Thank you for your offering last week of £1549.16 and £1447.86 for the Maintenance Fund. Mass attendances were 827.
Sunday 20/3/16	Palm Sunday of the Passion of The Lord 6.00pm In loving memory of Mick Brace RIP (G Tomkins) 9.15am People of the Parish 11.00am Tom Benson RIP (Benson Family) 4.00pm Stations of the Cross
Monday 21/3/16	Monday of the Holy Week 9.30am Teresa Linehan RIP
Tuesday 22/3/16	Tuesday of the Holy Week 9.30am Anniversary of Cornelius O’Shea RIP (E Gibson)
Wednesday 23/3/16	Wednesday of the Holy Week 9.30am Mick Roberts RIP
Thursday 24/3/16	Maundy Thursday 8.00pm Winn & Simon Families (F Simon)
Friday 25/3/16	Friday of the Passion of The Lord 3.00pm Edna Chavannes (Sheila & Maureen)
Saturday 26/3/16	Easter Vigil in the Holy Night 8.00pm Denis & Agnes Crowley RIP (Harrington Family)
Sunday 27/3/16	Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord 9.15am People of the Parish 11.00am Christopher Walsh RIP (Benson Family)
Confessions heard Saturday 5.00pm-5.45pm or by appointment.
Morning Prayers - Takes place Monday – Friday at 9.10am. All are welcome to attend.

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….

There is nothing worse than being in an exuberant, celebratory crowd when you are feeling awful. I remember being invited to my cousin’s wedding the Saturday after my mother passed away. The wedding had to go on as his parents and friends were visiting for the wedding, from Toronto Canada and my mother wouldn’t have wanted it to be different anyway. She loved family social gatherings and parties. But for me it was totally a surreal experience. There is no other way how to describe it. It felt like I was going through the motions of the marriage in church and then the reception on auto pilot. I felt empty, devoid of emotion. Of course the invites were there to celebrate with the newly married couple and why shouldn’t they? The fact that I had just left my religious community of 21 years and was just starting a new assignment in Dartford as a Curate in a totally different country did not help. I was definitely in transition at the age of 40. I felt totally lost I remember and alone. And I am sure you must have had similar experiences. It is a very lonely place to be in. You just retreat within yourself for protection. And it’s like watching life move along outside of yourself from a very much observer’s stance.

We are celebrating the start of Holy Week today by celebrating the feast of Palm Sunday. We are remembering the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time before he went through his passion and death. As a man, he must have been going through a lot of emotions. Outside of himself, he could see the celebratory crowd – wanting to make him King. It is a crowd that was adamant that the Rabbi Jesus was the Messiah – the one chosen by God to save them. They were in a frenzy. Jesus must have been looking at them with a very cautious gaze. He knew that he would not be leaving Jerusalem alive. The religious elders were closing down on him. They were trying to find anything to incriminate him. They wanted him out of their way. He had become a thorn in their side and he was threatening their status quo. He was becoming dangerous to them. They were losing their power and their status within the community because of him. They wanted him out. Jesus must have known this. He must have felt totally alone. The adoring crowds would be leaving him on his own and worse still they were turning against him. This man of peace – this man of God was going to be put under a lot of scrutiny, tried unjustly and shamed in being executed as a criminal. Psychologically, emotionally and spiritually, he must have been in turmoil. His very own – Judas would betray him, Peter would disown him and the rest accept John will flee in fear for their lives.

During Holy Week we will see being acted in front of our eyes all the human emotions that we do go through in our lives. We are going to experience Jesus’ fears and anxiety. His being betrayed by those closest to him, celebrating a meal where he would be saying his final goodbyes and leaving his spiritual testimony to his friends and family. With Jesus we are going to walk into our deepest fears, and experience rawness of all the human emotions. But the last word is not going to be that of death and failure but one of new life and resurrection.

I would like to encourage you to take Holy Week especially the Triduum – Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil and Easter as days of a “mini retreat” within the parish for all of us. If you have the time, I encourage you to make the time to take part in all of what the parish is offering us to enter spiritually in the experience of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are starting today on Palm Sunday with the Re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross at 4.00pm in the church. Apart from the Mass on Maundy Thursday, with the washing of the feet and the recommitment of the Eucharistic ministers of the parish, we are having a time of Adoration at the Altar of Repose ending with Night Prayer from 9.30pm – 12.00am. On Good Friday morning we are having Morning Prayer at 9.30am, the Good Friday service at 3.00pm and then Prayers around the Cross on Friday evening at 8.00pm. On Saturday morning – we are starting the day with Morning Prayer at 9.30pm and then the Easter Vigil at 8.00pm. On Easter Sunday, we are having the normal Masses of 9.15am with the Easter egg Hunt afterwards and the 11.00am Mass. May this very special time be full of blessings spiritually and otherwise to you and all your families. I wish to thank all the parishioners who are putting so much energy, time and skills, preparing to celebrate Easter in the most prayerful way for all of us. God bless you all.

“Drop-In” – Evening Surgery

Due to Lenten and Easter Commitments, the next Surgery will take place on Tuesday 12^th April, 5.00pm-8.00pm. Please call at 281a Crescent Drive – no appointments necessary.

Our Parish Faith Formation

Sacrament of Baptism

This weekend we welcome Aidan Sean Cunningham, his parents Laura and Terry and godparents Derek and Ciara.

2016 First Holy Communion Programme

The next session will take place on Saturday 16^th April, 4.30pm-5.45pm in the Community Centre.

2016 Confirmation Programme

The next meeting will take place on Monday 21^st March, 7.00pm-8.30pm in the Community Centre.

Parish Group Activities

CWL Annual General Meeting – Monday 21st March

The Annual General Meeting of the Petts Wood Catholic Women’s League will be held at 8.00pm on Monday 21^st March in the small hall of the Community Centre. Please come along if you would like to learn more about the CWL.

SVP Race night with a difference – Saturday 9^th April

Family race night. Saturday 9th April from 7pm in the community centre with all proceeds to support the work of the SVP in the Parish. Tickets available after all masses this weekend or directly from the contacts listed below Tickets available from Peter Benson, Graham Price or Chris Delf . Email svp@stjamespettswood.org.

Family ticket £20, Adults £8,Children £3. Book early to avoid disappointment for this very popular event

Parent & Toddler Group

Will be meeting here again in the Community Centre on Friday afternoons 1.30pm-3.00pm – term time only.

J&P Plant Sale – Advanced Notice

The annual charity plant sale in aid of St Helen’s Parish Peru, will be held over the weekend of 21^st/22^nd May. Gardeners of St James, if you are seed sowing, propagating or dividing plants please consider adding a few extra for the sale. Anyone tidying their garden who has an unwanted but healthy pant, please put it in a pot and find it a new home at the sale. Flowers, veg, herbs, indoor plants will all be welcome. Thank you for your support. (J&P)

Deanery Event

Service for Bereaved Parents

Will take place on Sunday 17^th April at 3.00pm in the St James Community Centre.

Youth Ministry

Youth Retreat 30^th September-2^nd October 2016

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.

St James’ RC Primary School – Staff Vacancy

St James’ RC Primary School are currently looking to recruit a Full Time Class Teacher from September 2016. Please contact the school office for more details and an application pack. Full advertisement on Situations Vacant Board at back of the church.

Safeguarding

The Archdiocese of Southwark is committed to the safety and welfare of children and vulnerable adults. The Diocese co-operates fully with CSAS, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Service, which aims to help the Church become an example of best practice in the Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, and develop a “culture of vigilance” to ensure that children and vulnerable adults in our care are kept safe from harm.

The Safeguarding Representatives here in our Parish are Paula McCabe and Suzanne Horner, both of whom have received training for this role. If you need to speak to them on any issue, they can be contacted via the Parish Office. All enquiries will be dealt with in strictest confidence.

Lost Property

We have accumulated a fair amount of Lost Property. Please take a look in the boxes at the back of the Church to see if any of it belongs to you.

Finance

Gift Aid

A very big thanks to all who have gift-aided their 1^st and 2^nd collection offerings and their donations to the Maintenance/Refurbishment Fund during the 2015/16 tax year.

Your boxes of new Gift Aid envelopes (with your name on) for the 2016/17 tax year are now ready for collection in the church porch.

If you cannot find your box, please speak to Geoff Ford (the Gift Aid Administrator) – email him at gift.aid@stjamespettswood.org or phone 01689 872125 or he can usually be found in the "counting room" after 11am Mass on Sundays.

The amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax you pay or will pay during a tax year must be at least equal* to the total amount of tax that all Charities (i.e. not just St James) will reclaim on your gift-aided donations to them for that tax year. Other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.

You must have paid at least 25 pence in Income/Capital Gains Tax for every £1 of gift-aided donation you make to all Charities (i.e. £25 tax for every £100 given). If you pay less Income/ Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year, it is your responsibility to pay any difference to HMRC.

Please also speak to Geoff if:

a) you are unsure that you will have paid adequate tax;

b) you wish to know the total recorded amount of your offerings;

c) you move or marry and change your name. (It is important that our record of your name and address is recognisable to the tax man);

d) you wish to transfer your gift aid donations into your spouse’s name (perhaps because you have stopped working and no longer pay tax); and

e) you would like to Gift Aid your contributions to St James but have not yet completed a declaration form.

As every charity will tell you, by gift-aiding your donations your contributions are substantially increased at absolutely no cost whatsoever to you. If you are not already in our Gift Aid scheme, all you have to do is sign a declaration form permitting St James' Church to recover the tax you will have already paid on your donations.

Lent & Easter 2016 at St James 

These two great seasons of the Liturgical year are an opportunity for every person to experience a closer journey alongside Jesus. There are many activities and services available to nourish and enrich your journey.

Palm Sunday (Sunday 20 March)

4.00pm Experience the Stations of the Cross in a different way, as the stations are re-enacted with readings, reflections and music

Maundy Thursday (Thursday 24 March)

8pm Mass of the Last Supper.

After Mass, we are invited to spend some time 'watching and praying' with Jesus. Music will be available throughout this time, and the watching will end with Night Prayer at 11.50pm. To make sure that there is always someone in the Church with Jesus, please sign your name against the time slots in the porch if you know what time you are planning to be present.

Good Friday (Friday 25 March)

9.30am Morning Prayer

10.30am Children’s' Stations of the Cross

10.30am Petts Wood Churches Together Service

3.00pm Good Friday Service

8.00pm Taizé Prayer around the Cross

Easter Vigil (Saturday 26 March)

9.30am – Morning Prayer

11.30am - Święconka – Polish traditional blessing of Easter Baskets; all welcome.

8.00pm Vigil Mass

Stations of the Cross

Today, Palm Sunday 20^th March, there will be a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross at 4.00pm. Rehearsal will be on Sunday 20^th March at 2pm, all welcome.

Rotas for Holy Week & Easter Masses

Are now at the back of the church. Could all Altar Servers, Readers, Eucharistic Ministers and Welcomers please sign up where appropriate.