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Thank you for your offerings last week of £1,410. Mass attendance 719. |
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Sunday
29th October (Saturday
Vigil) |
Thirtieth
Sunday in Ordinary Time 6pm Kathleen
McCabe RIP (McCabe Family) |
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9.15am Francesca Sio
RIP (Sio Family) 11am Organ Donors & Recipients |
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Monday 30th
October |
Feria 9.30am Barbara Bridle (CWL) |
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Tuesday
31st October |
Feria 9.30am Olga J Lolljee
RIP (H Lolljee) |
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Wednesday
1st November (Whole
School Mass) |
All Saints 9.30am Cardinal Murphy O’Connor RIP (Howell
Family) 8pm Carmelo Agius
RIP (S Finn & E Walsh) |
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10.45am Eucharistic Adoration |
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Thursday 2nd November |
The
Commemoration Of All The Faithful Departed |
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9.30am Ellen & Victor Clark RIP (Clark
Family) |
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Friday 3rd
November |
Feria 9.30am Desmond Kelly RIP (M T
Kelly) 7.30pm Eucharistic
Adoration |
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Sunday 5th
November (Saturday
Vigil) |
Thirty-First
Sunday in Ordinary Time 6pm Joseph Pereira RIP (S
Pereira) |
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9.15am Francesca
Sio RIP (Sio Family) 11am Thanksgiving (J&L
Samuels) |
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.
Sunday Mornings in the Community Centre
Every Sunday coffee and tea is served after
the 9.15am and 11am Masses. Please join
us for a while and get to know each other over a cuppa!
Second Collection
Next week’s second collection on 4-5th
November is for the maintenance fund.
Fr David writes…
When I was working in Melbourne in
the nineties, there was a great influx of Asian people migrating to Australia. Mainly Vietnamese. In the main community, I remember, there was
a lot of uproar against them. At the
time, they were the latest “strangers” to dare to enter the familiar
multicultural face of Australia. So,
they became the target of the main culture’s prejudices and racism. What I could not fathom at the time was, that the worst negative reactions came from migrants
who had settled in Australia in the previous decades. They would have gone through the pain of
rejection themselves. They themselves
would have been called names and their children would have been ridiculed, put
down and bullied at schools. Instead of
feeling compassion towards the Vietnamese, now that they felt more accepted in
the main culture, being in more positions of power, almost felt the need to put
down and bully the most vulnerable. The
stranger in a community is without power.
The stranger is always subject to the generosity and hospitality of the
one who is in a comfortable position. There
is an interesting dynamic which happens when the stranger tries to engage
within an established community. Whilst
the stranger very cautiously tries to test the water of how hospitable the
receiving community is, those who feel grounded within the community feels
threatened by the newness of the stranger.
An established community becomes territorial, protecting its boundaries
and position. They are scared to be
intruded upon. Their reaction is either
total rejection of the stranger or else by their words and behaviour they make
it very clear who is in control. It is
always very uncomfortable and intimidating to be seen as the stranger. Most times, the stranger can see what the
established community is blind to see what is toxic and dysfunctional. Stranger’s eyes can see our shadow side.
In today’s first reading we hear how
the people of Israel were expected to treat the stranger. “You must not molest the stranger or oppress
him, for you lived as strangers in the land of Egypt”. God is saying to them – remember when you
were poor and dependent and strangers, God had pity on you and rewarded you. Memory is basic to our Judeo-Christian
spirituality. When you feel tempted to
start judging the stranger, making him or her feel out of place and unwelcomed,
stop and remember who you were and what you have is gift. You are not entitled to anything more special
than others. The Israelites were
commanded to love the stranger as they loved themselves. They were invited to look into their own
heart and remember the time when they were the outsiders, when they were out of
their element. Loving the stranger was
something that had to be done because that was what God did. Strangers ceased feeling estranged when they
were offered hospitality. Not
surprisingly hospitality for the Jewish people came to be regarded as one of
the primary virtues. Especially for
nomadic people, hospitality could become a matter of life and death. Travellers depended for their survival on the
hospitality of strangers.
In the Gospel Jesus speaks of the conquering power of love when he tells
his followers” You must love your neighbour as yourself”. Often the real stranger is not the person we
don’t know but the person we don’t want to know, the person we refuse to love. That person could be a neighbour, a relative,
a member of our family, a member of our parish or community. We can all have strangers within our house,
still waiting to be welcomed and loved. Who
is my neighbour? We are often scared to
take people in, because we are frightened to be hurt or taken for a ride. And we need to protect ourselves. Not everyone has the right motivation and agenda. We need to be wise and discern. On the other hand, to entrust others in,
demands risking, demands a whole lot of generosity of heart. Sometimes it means that we need to move out
of our comfort zones emotionally or physically or both, in order to welcome and
love our neighbour. Loving our neighbour
as ourselves is not for the faint hearted.
Sometimes it demands an internal struggle with self. It is not always easy. Loving our neighbour
demands forgiveness at times in order to move on. What a gift though of being able to reach out
beyond our egos sometimes and embrace those who are not part of our “group” –
something happens to our soul when we are generous with those who need
acceptance and love. It liberates us first
and foremost from the bottomless hunger of egotism. Reaching out to others enlarges our world,
our soul. Let us this week reflect on
our attitude towards the stranger/neighbour in our midst. If we feel secure within our community let us
remember the time that we needed to feel welcomed. Instead of seeing the stranger and neighbour
as a threat let us see them as an opportunity for us to live according to the
value system of Christ.
“Drop-In”
Evening Surgeries
Please note the change of day
The next Drop-in Surgery will take place
on Wednesday 25th October between 5–7pm. Please call at 281a Crescent Drive. No appointments are necessary.
The Parish Pastoral Council
The next meeting of the
Parish Pastoral Council will take place on Monday 30th October at
7.30pm in the Community Centre. You may raise any relevant issue
using the PPC mailbox which is ppc@stjamespettswood.org
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 1st
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.
To new and existing altar servers and their
parents
On the 4th
November you are invited to come along to a special meeting to encourage you to
think about whether you would like to become an Altar server. All existing Altar servers are also invited
to attend and chat to any new servers that might be interested in joining us. The meeting is open to anybody who have made your First Holy Communion. Parents please accompany children under 18. We will be serving Pizza so please let the
parish office know beforehand if you are going to attend or click here for an online link to register.
Annual Cemetery Mass and Blessing of the Graves
will take place at St Mary’s, Crown Lane, Chislehurst
on Saturday 18th November at Noon,
remembering those buried at Saint Mary's and Beaverwood Cemetery. Also, on Sunday 19th November at
2pm at Kemnal Park cemetery and memorial gardens the annual Catholic blessing
of the graves will take place.
Pastoral Care Pillar
Memorial Mass
Sunday 12th November at 3pm
For all those families who
have lost a family member in the last year, a special Mass will be held in the
Church and all Parishioners are most welcome to attend. This will be followed by refreshments in the
Community Centre when members of our Pastoral Care Team will be present should
you feel the need to talk to someone. In
addition, there will be an opportunity to remember deceased family and friends
at all Masses throughout November. From
the weekend of 14th/15th October sheets of paper will be available in the
Church porch if you would like your loved ones to be remembered. Please place their names in the box provided,
the names will then be put in a basket and placed on the altar from the
beginning of November.
Dementia Café at St James’
On Saturday 25th November a meeting will take place in the Community
Centre from 9.30am to 11.00am with Nicola Fishman, Community Development Worker
for Bromley Dementia Support Hub with a view to starting up this worthwhile
support within the Parish during the early part of 2018. She will be talking to us about the benefits
of the café and the structure required to be able to
provide this service. If you feel you
would like to know more or wish to be involved in this initiative, please do
come along to the meeting.
Evangelisation Pillar
RCIA –
Journey in Faith
begins again with a welcome session on
Sunday 29th October from 2.30–6.00pm. It is for Adults 18 plus who may be:
Searching
for meaning in their lives and want to explore their spirituality.
Wanting to
know more about the person of Jesus and Christianity.
Feeling the
need to belong to a Community of Faith.
Exploring the possibility of becoming Catholics.
Journey in Faith is also for those
who are already Catholics but feel the need to deepen their faith. And for those who are already Christians but
wish to become full members of the Catholic Church.
Please let the Parish Office know if you would like to join the journey
with us.
Half day Exploration of the Religious Art of
Caravaggio
Saturday
4th November 10:30am (prompt start) - around 1pm finish.
Fr Geoff Wheaton SJ will return to St James’
to give this talk. Caravaggio is his
hero, and his talk will be a feast of ideas and knowledge. Tea and Coffee will be provided. Bring a packed lunch if you wish to stay on
afterwards to discuss and share.
Confirmation 2018
Calling all year Nine and above students who
wish to be confirmed next year. There is
a “Come and See” meeting on Monday 6th November at 7.30pm in the
Church. This meeting is for candidates
and their parents. At the end of the
meeting, packs will be distributed ready for enrolment into the programme which
starts with a kick off day on Saturday 25th November. If you intend to come to the meeting on the 6th,
please let the parish office know by phone or email: parish.office@stjamespettswood.org. We look forward to meeting you all. The Catechists.
First Holy Communion 2018
If you would like your child to take part in our parish programme for
First Holy Communion, please send an email to the Parish Office with all
relevant details, child’s name, date of birth, school, names of parents,
address and contact details. Candidates
must be in Year 3 or above. All
preparation classes are held on Saturdays from 4.30 to 5.45 and will run from
January to June. Dates for First Holy Communion are 9th
and 16th June 2018.
Justice & Peace Group
All
Foodbank supporters
Following a busy few weeks for the Foodbank, including
a move from the Orpington Centre at St Barnabas church to the Oak Community
church in St Mary Cray, we have been advised that the most needed items are as
follows: instant coffee, desserts, men and women’s toiletries, household
goods such as washing powder, washing-up liquid, cleaning materials. They
received a great response from harvest collections by churches and schools, and
as a result they are well stocked for most foods but now lack the items listed. Thank you for your continuing
support.
New Parish Overseas Project
This weekend a
member of the Justice and Peace Group will give a short talk at each Mass to
introduce to the Parish the new overseas project which will be in the
Philippines. There will also be displays
in the church from the Philippines. The
first collection for the new project will be over the weekend of 18/19
November.
CAFOD Fairtrade Petition
As
a Fairtrade registered parish we have been asked by CAFOD to support the
petition to Sainsbury’s not to remove the Fairtrade mark from their own brand
tea and replace it with their own ‘Fairly Traded’ scheme which could mean an
unfair deal for poor farmers. This
campaign is also supported by Christian Aid, OXFAM and Traidcraft.
Please
consider adding your signature to the lists to go with the CAFOD letter to
Sainsbury’s (copies available to read) at the back of church. You do not need to add an e-mail or postal
address. The letter can also be
viewed on the Parish website.
More information at www.cafod.org.uk/fairtrade.
Thank you
Manna Centre Collection
A huge thank you to everyone at St James’ who
has donated food, clothing or toiletries to homeless people who use the Manna
Centre service.
Parish Life
Petts Wood Catholic Women's League (CWL)
The next monthly meeting will be held on Monday 30th October at
the earlier time of 7.30 pm as at 8 pm Nick Babb will be giving a talk entitled
"Development though Economic Empowerment: Grassroots insights from
Uganda". Any members of the parish
wishing to learn more about this are very welcome to join us.
The Southwark
Branch of the CWL will be holding a special Mass on Saturday 28th
October at 11am at St James’ to celebrate their 90th anniversary. CWL
members please remember about the Branch AGM in the Social Centre following the
Mass.
Watch RISE
Theatre’s new play about Blessed Oscar Romero
We are delighted to welcome RISE Theatre,
a professional Christian theatre company, who will be performing their original
play ‘Romero – Heartbeat of El Salvador’
at St James’ on Sunday 26th
November at 7.30pm.
The
production tells the true story of Blessed Oscar Romero and his heart for the
oppressed people of El Salvador. Romero
chose to challenge those in power and stand up for social justice. He demanded respect for human rights. Come and experience this exciting new play,
performed with energy and passion by the RISE Theatre team - www.risetheatre.co.uk
“A challenging
and moving production about the life and legacy of this great man of justice.” Bridget Fenwick, CAFOD
For tickets please contact
Parish office on 01689 827100 parish.office@stjamespettswood.org
or visit https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/411171
Performance lasts approximately 75 minutes and
is suitable for adults and children 11+
Community Hall Audio Visual System Demonstration
There is now
a reasonably comprehensive audio-visual (AV) system setup in the Community
Hall, and all parish groups are encouraged to make use of it. To show what the system can do, and to answer
any queries, a demonstration is scheduled to start 5 minutes after
the end of the following Masses in the Hall.
The Demonstration should last around 15 minutes.
4-5th November weekend AFTER Saturday 6pm Mass and Sunday 9:15am
Mass
There is a simple set of instructions so that the AV system can be used
more extensively within the Parish. Any parishioners who are interested in using the AV system
should come to the demonstration, and all parish groups should arrange for a
representative to attend and to learn the setup.
Friends of St James’
Parish Christmas Fayre – 10th December
If you would like to be
involved in this years Christmas Fayre, please join us
for an initial planning meeting on 2nd November at 8pm. If you are unable to join us please email the
parish office – parish.office@stjamespettswood.org
with your ideas and suggestions. Many
Thanks.
Saturday 11th November, 7.00pm
Iron Mountain in concert at St James’ Community Centre!
Cost: £10 adults, £5 children, £25 family
Bar open, bring your own nibbles.
Tickets on sale after
Mass from this week.
Mikołajki
On Saturday 2nd December the parish Polish community together
with the local Polish Playgroup invite Polish families to come join them in the
community centre as traditionally Saint Nicholas brings presents on 6th
December. Contact Katarzyna for details
and to register your kids as places are limited kateg1978@yahoo.co.uk
Petts Wood Churches Together
As part of Petts Wood Churches Together 500th Reformation Year, we have
a special musical event arranged for 19th November at 2pm, to be held at Christ
Lutheran Church. The Secret Life of
Lutheran Chorales, with Noridc Lyres, Bray Harp,
bells and singing. Please see the link: secretlifeoflutheranchorales.com. Everyone is welcome.
Seeing a Chaplain if You Are Admitted to Hospital
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.
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Saturday 4th
November |
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Cleaning
the Church |
S Ingle, I Hutchins, P Driscoll, J Rogerson, M Mitrovic (Tuesday team – 7th November) |
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Wednesday
Coffee 8th
November |
T Forde, E Cushman |
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5th
November |
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Mass |
Saturday 6pm (Vigil) |
Sunday 9.15am |
Sunday 11am |
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Welcomers |
A Lench |
L Thomas F Mace |
M Cooper K Edwards |
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Readers |
K Salter K Lams |
J Gibson S Cotta |
L Benson M Morley |
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Ministers
of Holy Communion |
P Crosland C Wakefield C Cosgrave P Cosgrave P Driscoll |
B D’Arcy T Forde M Smith M Howell K Chan |
V Terry N Longhurst T Willard R Mwansa K Evans |
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Bar |
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F Simon P Dabrowski |
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Coffee |
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D Delf F Curran E Aletta |
P Flockhart A Huntington S Ingle |
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Tellers |
L Delamain, M
Edwards |