LiveSimply at Mass

17/18^th November 2012

Fr Bryan’s words in normal font, actions in italics

Procession (all Masses)

A server will carry the banner.  Please instruct the server to stand in front of the altar and face the congregation while you speak about today’s Mass:

Today we think and pray about our commitment to live simply so that others may simply live.  In our Mass we shall be reminded about this, as later we recite the LiveSimply prayer which is printed on the back of Briefly, so I hope everyone has a copy.  Thank you for your donations to the Orpington Foodbank.  Regular support of the food bank and the Manna Centre is one way in which we can show our solidarity with the poor.  This is one of the three principles of LiveSimply.  If you forgot this week – please bring a few items next week.

Please point to the signs and read out:

Live Simply

Live Sustainably

Live in Solidarity with the poor

Take the banner from the server and place it in the stand

So as we begin our Mass, let’s think about the small steps we can take to live simply.

After the Bidding prayers (All Masses)

Let us reflect on the meaning of living simply as we say the prayer printed on the back of Briefly.

(Fr Bryan – there is a copy on the back of this sheet)

Offertory hymn (11am Mass only)

The Folk Choir will now lead us in a song written specially by a LiveSimply supporter.  It is new to all of us but we shall be singing it throughout our LiveSimply year, so I encourage everyone to start learning it today.

Before final blessing (All Masses)

The LiveSimply group has been busy planning some of the actions we promised when signing up for the award.  A small team has started to design the worship and wildlife garden and there will be a chance to work on this in the spring.  We have started to hear news of the community in Bangladesh which we will be supporting and this will be reported in due course.  I do encourage you to take part when things announced or help is requested – this is a real opportunity to intensify our witness of charity, which is faith in action, as the Pope has appealed for us to do in this Year of Faith.

So let’s remember what we've been thinking about at Mass and try to put this into practice in our own lives.  For example, now is the time to think about others instead of what we spend on ourselves at Christmas.  Living simply reminds us that most have more than enough and it can help us to reassess what we really need.

Here are a couple of very different examples for you to think about:

1)  On Saturday 1^st December there is an opportunity to help the Orpington Foodbank by handing out leaflets at certain local supermarkets.  The idea is to encourage shoppers to buy one item for the Foodbank and hand it in when they leave the supermarket.  If you would like to do this please contact Owen Clutton whose number will be in next week’s Briefly.

2)  This Christmas buy a CAFOD World Gift.  There are still leaflets in the porch about this scheme which enables you to support specific targets of need.  Children can choose to buy gifts such as a school starter kit, giving a child overseas the chance we all take for granted.

Server to collect banner and carry it out in procession