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Thank you for your offering last week of £1428.20. Mass attendances were 744. |
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Sunday 20/12/15 |
Fourth Sunday of Advent
6.00pm Derek Williams RIP (K Salter)
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am Mick Brace RIP (Tomkins Family)
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Monday 21/12/15
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Feria
9.30am Monsignor John Elliott (Simon Family)
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Tuesday 22/12/15 |
Feria
9.30am Fr Thomas Cooper (45th Anniversary of Ordination)
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Wednesday 23/12/15 |
Feria
10.00am Requiem Mass for Ivy Nelligan (Please note change of time)
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Thursday 24/12/15 |
Christmas Eve
Please note no morning Mass
6.00pm People of the Parish
11.30pm People of the Parish
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Friday 25/12/15 |
The Nativity of the Lord
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am Monsignor John Elliott
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Saturday 26/12/15 |
St Stephen
6.00pm People of the Parish
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Sunday 27/12/15 |
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am Ian McDowall (G Coughtrey)
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Monday 28/12/15 |
The Holy Innocents
9.30am World Peace (CWL)
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Tuesday 29/12/15 |
St Thomas of Canterbury
9.30am Jessie D’Clozets RIP (J Craen)
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Wednesday 30/12/15 |
Sixth Day of the Octave
9.30am Joan & Thomas Brosnan (G Carter)
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Thursday 31/12/15 |
Seventh Day of the Octave
Please note no morning Mass
6.00pm People of the Parish
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Friday 1/1/16 |
Mary, the Holy Mother of God
12 Noon Maurice Ingledew RIP (M Ingledew) (Please note change of time)
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Saturday 2/1/16 |
SS Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen
6.00pm Deceased Members of the Butler Family (Foundation Mass)
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Sunday 3/1/16 |
The Epiphany of the Lord
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am Daphne Banham RIP (M Banham)
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Monday 4/1/16 |
Feria
9.30am Peter Keen RIP (Rebello Family) |
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Tuesday 5/1/16 |
Feria
9.30am David Forde RIP (H & T Forde)
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Wednesday 6/1/16 |
Feria
9.30am Dr Margaret Evelyn Ledger (Foundation Mass)
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Thursday 7/1/16 |
Feria
9.30am Margaret Riley RIP (L & A Farrell)
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Friday 8/1/16 |
Feria
9.30am Jennifer Ann Lowe (K Self)
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Saturday 9/1/16 |
Vigil Mass
6.00pm William Ashton RIP (K Griffin)
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Sunday 10/1/16 |
The Baptism of the Lord
9.15am People of the Parish
11.00am Cathleen Benson RIP (Benson Family)
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Confessions heard Saturday 5.00pm-5.45pm or by appointment. |
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Morning Prayers take 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. Please note no meeting 28th December.
Fr David Writes …….
Life is full of encounters! We are social beings and so we need one another. We are born in a system of human beings and we call it a family. And through life with our connections within schools and work and nowadays also through the internet we have the opportunity to encounter new people in our lives. Some encounters are sometimes very transitory. They come and go. Others are more permanent. Some become lifelong friends or partners or spouses. Some encounters are a blessing – we meet people at the right time and at the right place in our lives. They are those God given encounters. They could be brief encounters but they can affect us deeply. They are the right people for us. Other encounters are for the long haul. They help us to flourish – to discover something new about ourselves. They help us to become the best that we can become. They open in us new avenues – New possibilities. New adventures. We feel safe with them. They become a significant part of our lives. Some become our rock. Other encounters unfortunately are the opposite. They promise to be life giving encounters at the start and yet we know in time that they do not deliver on a lot of levels. Instead of opening us to new beginnings and adventures, they tend to lock us into their dysfunctional dynamics and kill something of our souls. They can be harmful literally to our wellbeing.
Every encounter though teaches us something about ourselves and about life in general. We need to strive to look even at negative encounters as being teachers. I believe that we learn in life through everything that we go through if we allow it to be that. In this case we need to free ourselves from past resentfulness and unforgiveness. Otherwise we might be stuck all our lives in the past and never let go. This can also become harmful for us physically and emotionally. We can become very negative and cynical about ourselves and life in general. The negative encounters can also affect our own sense of self – our self-confidence and self-esteem. We need to protect ourselves from this kind of encounter. We might think that for one reason or another we do not have choices. We feel stuck in dysfunctional relationships. It might not have to be. We need first and foremost to seek help in order to gain insight upon what is hooking us to these encounters. If we are not aware of the dynamic, we can go on into a pattern of being attracted to the same kind of dysfunctional people. Something needs to be unlocked before entering into another relationship if we want a healthy one.
In today’s Gospel we are invited to meditate on a very significant encounter. Mary’s encounter with her cousin’s Elizabeth. Both were very strong, resilient and holy women. Elizabeth blessed with a life time of experiences of disappointments and joys. A woman without children at the time was not looked upon nicely by her community. A barren woman was considered to be a cursed woman. They believed that God was punishing the couple for some sin they had committed. The women at the time were all hoping that they would be the one carrying the promised messiah. Elizabeth had to endure a lifetime of discrimination and rumours around her. Now God in her old age, had kept his promise to her and she is with child. Mary on the other hand is still in her youth – not a lot of life experience. But already she had to grapple with a very difficult decision. Mary does not know by what road she must venture, what pains she must suffer, what risks she must face. Motherhood outside of marriage was frowned upon those days. She could have been stoned to death if Joseph had not taken her under his wings.
Mary is aware that it is the Lord asking and she entrusts herself totally to Him; she abandons herself to his love. This is the faith of Mary! Mary teaches us to seize the right moment when Jesus comes into our life and asks for a ready and generous answer. When these two women of faith and wisdom met at this point in their lives, something extraordinary happens. The child within Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy within her. The sign of blessing! What a blessed encounter was that. Two women representing the New and the Old Testament embracing and through them new life emerges. New hope is emerging.
The readings of the fourth Sunday of Advent remind us that Jesus was born into a human family. It is very important that he took on our flesh and blood, but it was equally important that he took on the social relationships that both complete and complicate our lives. We can sometimes think that it would be easier to be holy apart from the people with whom we live and work. But the incarnation reminds us that God calls us to be holy in the midst of those very relationships. He calls us to be faithful even when our careful plans come to nothing, when circumstances suddenly throw our lives into chaos. What we learn from Mary and Elizabeth is that as long as we say yes to God (it’s ok to grapple with that too), he will guide us through the darkness with a sure hand. I wish you all a blessed Christmas and blessings on the New Year 2016, both as individuals but also a community of St James’.
Christmas Prize Draw
Congratulations to the following parishioners whose tickets were drawn out last Sunday:
1st Prize – Joanna & Nigel Longhurst
2nd Prize – Angela Bunnage
3rd Prize – Grainne MacManus
In total £2,658 has been raised for the Parish. A big thank you for all your support.
Advent Service
Will be held here in the church this Sunday 20th December at 4.00pm. Our Advent Service is an opportunity to pause in the busy preparations leading up to Christmas. Through readings, prayer and music, we will reflect on the Christmas story and how it relates to our lives today. All parishioners are invited to come and share in this special service to start their Christmas week focussed on Jesus.
Christmas Offerings
The collections at the Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are your personal offerings for your Parish Priest.
Readers over the Christmas Period
Many thanks to those of you that have volunteered. The rota for all the Christmas Masses is displayed in the porch at the back of the church.
Crib Offerings
All monies in the votive candle stands during the Christmas Season will be donated to the Friends of the Holy Land.
Christmas Gifts for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)
Over the Christmas period, we are looking for donations of gifts (wrapped and labelled with appropriate age) that will be taken to the JRS head office in Wapping, and given to recipients on the Feast of Epiphany (in many countries, gifts are given on the Epiphany rather than Christmas Day). JRS support children, young people and adults, so we can all offer something! We have been given some guidance for adults' gifts:
· Underwear (very few places help with this);
· Hairbrush;
· Woolly tights;
· Nice perfume, Aftershave or fragrance;
· T-shirt, jeans or Winter jumper; and
· Scarves.
Please bring your gifts along to the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses. Thank you once again for all your support.
Christmas Day Mass – 9.15am
To make our Christmas Gospel extra special at the 9.15am Mass on Christmas Day, the children are invited to dress up as angels or shepherds. Be ready to play your part and come up to the Crib at the right time! If you would like to bring a musical instrument with you to Mass (e.g. drum, maracas), you can help make the final hymn extra special for Christmas!
Second Collections…..
Will take place on
Sunday 3rd January for the Maintenance Fund; and
Sunday 10th January for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
St James’ Community Centre
The work in the Social Centre is almost complete and a launch is planned for the weekend of the 30th-31st January (more details to follow). The Social Centre will be renamed and will now be known as the St James’ Community Centre.
Church Cleaning
If you volunteered to go on the rota, could you please check on the website or on notice board at the back of the church your allocated dates. Please note, some Parish Groups are also included on the new cleaning rota. Thank you.
New Year’s Eve
A Mass thanking God for 2015 and asking his Blessing for 2016 will be held here at 6.00pm on Thursday 31st December.
Holy Baptism
On Sunday 3rd January we welcome Kieran Mee, his Parents Louise and Andrew and Godparents Donna and Jacqueline.
On Sunday 10th January we welcome Sophie Logan, her Parents Sheila and Paul and Godparents Maria and Simon.
2016 First Holy Communion Programme
Will start on Saturday 9th January, in the Community Centre, between 4.30pm-5.45pm. Both parents and children are required to attend this session which will be followed by Mass at 6.00pm at which the children will be presented to the Parish.
Baptism Preparation Classes
Will take place on Monday 11th January at 8.15pm in the Parish Office (281a Crescent Drive) for those parents that have been invited.
“Drop-In” – Evening Surgery
The next Surgery will take place on Tuesday 12th January, 5.30pm – 7.00pm. Please call at 281a Crescent Drive – no appointments necessary.
2016 Confirmation Programme
The “Kick-off” day will take place on Saturday 16th January, in the Community Centre, between 12.00pm-5.30pm, followed by a Mass at 6.00pm to which all candidates will be presented to the Parish.
Traidcraft
Traidcraft stall sales last weekend were £204.97. Once again many thanks for all your support. J&P
Firm Believers
Firm Believers restarts on 5th January, continuing at the moment at Southborough Lane Baptist Church over the road. We are an inter-church Fun-Fitness class to music; a friendly and informal group, suitable for all levels; you're welcome to just turn up to give it a try. Come and enjoy your weekly workout with women from churches across Bromley. We meet on Tuesday evenings 7 – 7.45 pm, in term time - £5. Wear trainers, comfortable clothing and bring a mat. Contact: 07904 329788 or fru.bird@stjamespettswood.org
Week of Accompanied Prayer (WAP)
Sunday 28th February to Saturday 5th March 2016
Do you find yourself wanting a deeper personal relationship with God? Do you sometimes find it difficult to pray? Would you like to discover more about different ways of praying? If so, this special Lent Week is for you. A team of experienced Prayer Guides is coming to support and encourage participants, who will pray each day and then meet individually with their Guide daily at an agreed time. All are invited to a Taster Session on Sunday 17th January, 3-4pm at Christ Church URC, Tudor Way.
Bags for Life
Bromley Foodbank volunteers were delighted to receive the 452 Bags for Life donated by parishioners last week and asked for their thanks to be passed on. Special thanks to the generous parishioner who donated £200 worth of £5 supermarket gift vouchers. These will be put in the Christmas hampers so recipients can choose items themselves.
Father David and the Parish Office Team would like to wish you all a Peaceful Christmas
and a Happy 2016.