Today is Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.
This week we follow in our hearts and minds, the events of Christ’s last week on earth, culminating in the sacred Triduum (‘three days’) - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The services are all listed below and on the website.
Please try and come along to the Lutheran Church in Poverest Road (just passed the Petts Wood Road roundabout) on Good Friday (29th) at 10.30am for a united service. All the PW churches have been invited and I do hope we shall have a large contingent from St. James’.
Stations of the Cross for children here at 10am on Good Friday.
The ‘Triduum’ forms a continuous whole - starting with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at 8pm. (Please watch in prayer for 15 mins after this Mass - list in porch)
The Easter Vigil will be at 8.30pm this year on Holy Saturday (30th) - by far the most important liturgy of the year.
The music at all these services will be led by our special Holy Week choir.
Confessions: this week on Monday and Tuesday, 10am-10.30am.
On Wednesday I shall be at the Chrism Mass in the cathedral, at which the Archbishop consecrates the oils to be used in the sacraments throughout the coming year, and when all the priests of the diocese renew their commitment to priestly service. Please pray for us all.
There will be no morning Mass on Thursday.
Covering duties this week - still many blanks, please sign up today.
Please buy/take the pamphlets and other literature in the porch, especially newspapers with coverage of the new Pope.
May Holy Week and Easter be a time of renewal for us all as we contemplate afresh the death and resurrection of our Lord, and apply its meaning to our lives.
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This week:- |
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Today: Petts Wood Festival Chorus: (Rehearsal 2.30pm). Performance here this evening at 7.30pm, supporting Bromley Foodbank.
Tickets (£5) from repository after Mass. Not to be missed!
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Monday: CWL AGM at 8pm
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Tuesday: Project Board, 8pm. Holy Week choir, 8pm
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Wednesday: Justice and Peace Group at 7.45pm. Baptism rehearsal at 8.15pm.
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Thursday: NO morning Mass. Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 8pm. (Eucharistic Ministers renew their commitment).
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Friday: Day of fasting and abstinence (one meal, no meat). Children’s stations at 10am. United service at Christ Church Lutheran 10.30am. Solemn liturgy of the day, 3pm. (No stations this evening.)
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Saturday: Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter at 8.30pm (ending c.10.pm- clocks FORWARD one hour tonight!!).
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Sunday Masses as usual at 9.15 and 11 am.
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MANY THANKS TO:-
The Traidcraft team - and to parishioners - over £600 taken! (thanks also to Brownies for help with the eggs).
The Knights of St. Columba for the great St. Patrick’s night social (£297 for parish funds)
The Brownies for their bingo session raising £280 for Kainmari, Bangladesh (the village we support through the Livesimply project.)
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Advance Notice: Kainmari Curry Night will be on Sunday 21st April starting at 4pm in the hall. The proceeds will go to CAFOD for Connect2: Bangladesh. Tickets available after Easter (adults £8, children £4, family ticket £20). If we have your email address you will receive more details this week otherwise see future editions of Briefly. This is a LiveSimply initiative to Live in Solidarity with the Poor.
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GIFT AID A very big thanks to all who have gift-aided their 1st and 2nd collection offerings and their donations to the Maintenance/Refurbishment Fund during the 2012/13 tax year.
Your boxes (with your name on) of new Gift Aid envelopes for the 2013/14 tax year are now ready for collection at the back of the church.
Standing Orders, for those who Gift Aid their weekly offering by Standing Order, please note that boxes with their number on only contain envelopes for 2nd Collections.
If you cannot find your box please speak to Geoff Ford (the Gift Aid Administrator) – email him at gift.aid@stjamespettswood.org.
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, including Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs), (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/CASCs (i.e. £25 tax for every £100 given).
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 taxman.) d) you wish to transfer your gift aid into your spouse’s name (perhaps because you have stopped working and no longer pay tax) 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 no cost whatsoever to you.
Please consider giving to the parish regularly through Gift Aid. Contact Geoff Ford. |
Welcome to the City
a poem for Palm Sunday by Ian Cowie.
Lord Jesus, if only you would come to our city like
you did to Jerusalem.
We’ve some great hymns to sing to welcome you!
Our guitars would be out to lead the singing- we’d wave our scarves and dance.
Yu would get a real red-carpet welcome- five star treatment.
There would be a real religious revival. It would be wonderful.
If only you would come here to our country to rescue us.
But in case you do, just one wee word of advice-
Stick to religion, but be careful. Don’t interfere with politics, or economics, or big business and all that, and be careful not to make unpopular changes in the way we worship.
Save us from what might happen in the next life, yes, but leave us to go on our own way,
The way we are used to in this life.
If you get it wrong for our city,
who knows ?
We, too, might have to liquidate you.
Every blessing, Fr Bryan