Thank you for your offerings last week of £1,739.  Mass attendance 819.
Sunday 21st May (Saturday Vigil)	Sixth Sunday Of Easter 6pm Frank O’Leary RIP (M O’Leary)
	9.15am Francesca Sio RIP (J & L Sio) 11am Anthony Olivelle RIP (M Olivelle)
Monday 22nd May	Feria 9.30am Alan Carey RIP
Tuesday 23rd May	Feria 9.30am Joseph Modro RIP (D Marshall)
Wednesday 24th May	Feria Whole school Mass 9.30am Brendan Kenny RIP & Ann Kenny (Hilary Marvell)
	10.45am Eucharistic Adoration
Thursday 25th May	Saint Bede the Venerable 9.30am Martin & Bridie Mulroy RIP (G Mulroy)
Friday 26th May	Saint Philip Neri 9.30am Eddie Forde RIP (The O’Mahony Family)
Sunday 28th May (Saturday Vigil)	The Ascension Of The Lord 6pm Stephen Wong RIP (Sands Family) 9.15am People Of The Parish 11am Annie Farrell (E Froud)

Confessions heard Saturday 5.00-5.45pm or by appointment.

Morning Prayer: 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 11am - 12 noon, except for Bank Holidays, here in the Church.  All welcome.

Offertory collections

The second collection this week is for the Maintenance Fund.  Next week’s collection (28^th) is for World Communications – providing support for the Catholic Communications Network in the dissemination of news and in training spokespeople.  Would those in the gift aid scheme please use an envelope from the back of their boxes for this collection.

Fr David writes…

The manner we relate to one another as adults, especially in our intimate relationships, has its roots in the way we had experienced healthy or unhealthy attachments in our early days of life with our primary carers.  If the attachment with our mother/father or carer had been strong and that we had felt cared for in all our needs, the chance is that we were lucky enough to start life feeling secure, loved and feeling that we are fundamentally good.  This would have given us a sense of wellbeing and a healthy psychological sense of self.  This marks hope for future healthy relationships.  On the other hand, if we had started life, for one reason or another, feeling that our primary needs were neglected and also maybe feeling abandoned by our primary carers, physically and emotionally, unfortunately we would as children felt a sense of – I am not worthy of love.  There must be something wrong with me.  The insecurity which we feel as children through the lack of real solid attachment with our parents or carers would have marked us also for life.  Feeling abandoned as children makes the child feel unloved and unworthy of love.  As adults we would also grow up feeling a lack of trust in others.  People who have experienced unhealthy attachment, in their hearts will believe that the only people they can trust to be there for them is “themselves”.  They will grow up forming relationships but in honesty they will await the moment that their friend, their intimate partner will ultimately be tired of them and abandon them.  Unfortunately this paranoia most times has the potential to become true.  The Self-fulfilling prophecy syndrome.

Experiences of abandonment whether they are during our early stages of life or in later years are always painful.  Children can feel abandoned in situations when parents separate or divorce.  They do not have the inner capacity to distinguish between their parent’s difficulties in relationships and their own culpability in the matter of their parent’s separation.  They internalise guilt.  They truly believe that their parents had separated and they had lived in tension because of them.  They are to blame.  Even adults can have feelings of anger for example when their other half dies.  This anger is not always given permission to be articulated or expressed by the bereaved.  However, some disclose that they felt angry towards their loved one because they felt that their beloved by dying before them, had abandoned them and left them to deal with the world on their own.  Deep down we do fear abandonment.  It makes us feel vulnerable.  In abandonment, the person who leaves has the power and control.  Not the abandoned one.  The person who abandons had the choice to leave or not, whilst the person who remains had none.  So they would struggle the most.

In today’s gospel we once again encounter Jesus and his disciples as he is trying to make them aware that he had to leave them.  He knew that this would trigger difficult emotions of abandonment in them.  He had become synonymous to the core of who they were – disciples of Jesus.  Their identity was strictly connected with his.  Once he leaves them, the question of identity automatically arises – who are they?  Their identity had become too dependent on his.  Their need to start letting go of him for their own self-empowerment had to happen.  Jesus is reassuring them that he is not going to leave them orphans.  “If you love me you will keep my commandments.  I shall ask my Father to give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever”.  Jesus knows that for their sake, he needed to go.  But he is making it very clear to them that he will send them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He will remain with them through the Spirit.  The disciples of Jesus will never be cut off from Jesus.  They will still be connected to their source of peace, joy and hope.

Let us today reflect on our patterns of attachment in our relationships especially with our significant relationships.  Are they strong bonds built on genuine desire to get to know the other person or are they based on our own personal needs?  Do we trust in our relationships or are we always waiting to be abandoned or deserted?  The good news is that we are not determined to continue our unhealthy pattern of relating.  We still have the freedom and the possibility to heal from our wounds in our primary attachment patterns and stop the pattern of unhealthy relationships.  Are we ready to invest the time to heal for the sake of others especially not to project unhealthy patterns on our children?  We are not doomed forever in our unhealthy patterns of behaviour.  We can stop it if we wish.  May the Holy Spirit give us the courage to celebrate the gift of relationship in our lives and also to gain insight within ourselves about our needs which fuel our pattern of relating.  May our relationships be transformed by the gift of the Spirit.

“Drop-In” – Evening Surgery

The next Drop-in Surgery will take place on Tuesday 23rd May between 5pm – 7pm.  Please call at 281a Crescent Drive.  No appointments are necessary.

9.30am Mass on Wednesday 24th May

is going to be dedicated to Mary.  Parishioners are very welcome to take part in the procession to the school after Mass if you wish.

Holy Baptism

This weekend we welcome, through Holy Baptism: Lily South and her parents Christopher and Katherine; Logan McMullan and his parents Scott and Aneta; and Beatrice Knott and her parents Andrew and Arvie.

Liturgy Pillar

Eucharist Adoration

takes place for an hour each Wednesday shortly after the morning Mass starting at 10.45 am and finishing at 11.45 am.  This Devotion to the Eucharist is a time of silent prayer and quiet music.  Everyone is welcome for all or part of this time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

First Friday of Month - Eucharist Adoration also takes place on the 1^st Friday of each month from 7.30 pm – 9pm and concludes with Benediction.  Everyone is welcome for all or part of this time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Mass in celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage

St George’s Cathedral 17^th June 2017.  If you are celebrating your 1^st, 10^th, 25^th, 40^th, 50^th or 60^th+ wedding anniversary this year and would like to attend the Mass then please give in your names as soon as possible.  Forms can be found at the back of church.

Pastoral Care Pillar

Service for Bereaved Parents and Friends

Will take place on Sunday 25^th June at 4pm in the St James’ Community Centre.

A Thank you ….

Volunteers Event Saturday 3^rd June 7.00 to 10.00pm

At the end of a beautiful and moving Easter season, I was once again reminded of the many gifts held by so many in our parish.  With this in mind I am now inviting all volunteers in the parish to an evening on Saturday 3rd June to say thank you for your service.

So if you are a member of any of the groups below please contact the office before May15th so that we can finalise numbers for catering.

Are you a church cleaner, a Welcomer, a Reader, a Eucharistic Minister, a Catechist?

Do you help with the bar, serving coffees, collecting and counting money?

Do you help with any of the uniformed groups or in the parish office?

Are you a member of the finance committee, J&P or the PPC?

Are you a server or involved in providing music at any of the Masses?  (Year 8 and above because there will be a different event for the younger volunteers.)

Do you prepare the flowers for the church?

Do you lead any of the various groups: CWL, Knights, Parent Toddler, Friends of St James’, Liturgy Group, Dad & Me?

If for any reason you are not on these lists please contact the parish office to book your spot at the event.

I hope as many people as possible will attend and allow me on behalf of the parish to say thank you for your service.

Every Blessing

Fr David and the Parish Pastoral Council.

Parish Life……

200 Club

The winners of the second 200 club draw held last Sunday are as follows:

£100           No 12         Mrs M Deasy

£50             No 42         Mrs I Hutchins

£25             No 121       Mrs B Duck

£25             No 64         Mrs L Barrett

Congratulations to the winners.

Petts Wood Catholic Women's League

The CWL will hold their monthly meeting on Monday 22nd May at 8pm in the Community Centre.  Please come along if you would like to learn more about the CWL.

Parish AGM

The Parish’s Annual General Meeting (the AGM)

is scheduled to be held on Wednesday 21st June at 8pm in the Community Centre.  The meeting will include information about, and from, the PPC and parish groups and activities.  The Parish Groups are invited to prepare a presentation giving us an overview of the year and their aims for the next.  All parishioners are very welcome to attend so please put this date in your diary now.  We will let you know more in the coming weeks.  Thank you.

Young Church

Charity Car Wash by the Confirmation Candidates

The Confirmation candidates made an amazing £664.35.  All money raised is going to support the parish project in Peru.  Thank you for your support and generosity.

Youth Development Meeting

We are inviting all who are involved with youth in the Parish, and young people who may be interested, to come for a meeting facilitated by Susan Longhurst, Bromley Deanery Youth coordinator on Wednesday 31^st May at 7.30pm in the Community Centre.

Justice & Peace Group

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 24th May at 7.45pm in the Parish Office meeting room (281A Crescent Drive).  All parishioners are assured of a warm welcome.

Plant sale this weekend.

This is in aid of St Helen’s Parish, Peru.  It will be held in the yard adjacent to the Community Centre after all Masses.  Enter via the car park or hall.  Annuals, perennials, vegetables, children’s tombola, cookies and cakes stall.  Hall & bar open on Saturday after evening Mass.  Experienced gardeners from the parish will be available for advice, and there will be assistance with your purchases by some of our young parishioners.  Plant donations can be left by the gate at the far end of main car park any time on Saturday or bring with you before Mass.

Enquiries to di.betts@stjamespettswood.org

Please do NOT park to the right of entrance to main car park (far end) in order to allow access to the plant sale and for people delivering plants.  Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Seeing a Chaplain if You Are Admitted to Hospital

Protecting personal information (data protection) is really important when you become an inpatient in hospital.

So please specifically ask hospital staff to pass on your details to the hospital’s Roman Catholic chaplain as soon as you are admitted if you would like a Chaplain to visit you.

Fr David would always be very happy to visit you too, so please ask a relative or friend to let him know about your admission.  You or they can email Fr David on father.david@stjamespettswood.org, or phone the parish office on 01689 827100.

Weekend Rotas:  Thank you for helping.

28^th May
Mass	Saturday 6pm (Vigil)		Sunday 9.15am	Sunday 11am
Welcomers	A Neal		M Howell K Drabowicz	G Whitley M Ingledew
Readers	K Lams L Rusmini		Children’s Mass	P Lowe P Dabrowski
Ministers of Holy Communion	T Babb B Babb R Wright H Rothon J Bajorek		T Forde M Smith M Howell S Cotta A Ward	K Evans A Evans P May S Ingle Z Bajorek
Coffee			L Lynch S Barradell	C D’Arcy T Lowe
Bar	P Benson  M Wright
Tellers	F Simon  J Cosgrave
Saturday 27^tth May
Cleaning the Church		Uniformed Groups, Readers