Last Sunday Mass Attendance – 657
Mass Intentions
This Sunday
(Sat) 6.00pm Eileen & Donald McArthur RIP
10.00am Gwyn & Mary Owen RIP
11.30am People of the Parish
Daily Morning Prayer Monday – Saturday at 9.10am
Weekday Masses
Monday 9.30am Feria – Alma Pinto RIP
Tuesday 9.30am St Agatha (Virgin & Martyr) – Romauld Roger Zakiewrez RIP
Wednesday 9.30am ASH WEDNESDAY(Day of Fasting &Abstinence) – Ivan Raymond RIP
8.00pm Johnie Walsh RIP
Thursday 9.30am Feria – Ann Kinohan RIP
Friday 9.30am Feria – Josephine McMorrow & fam (welf)
Saturday 9.30am Feria – Teresa Cagney RIP
Next Sunday 10 February 2008 – First Sunday of Lent
(Sat) 6.00pm Michael Moore RIP
10.00am People of the Parish
11.30am Denis & Agnes Crowley RIP
Confessions heard Saturday 10.15-10.45am and 5.30-5.50pm, or after any weekday Mass on request.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament − Monday 10am-12 noon
Welcome to Mass today! Last week we heard in the gospel about Jesus calling his first disciples. In today’s readings we hear of God’s preference for the ‘nobodies’ of this world. In today’s gospel St Matthew is describing what happens when God’s kingdom breaks in to our broken world. The beatitudes are a list of paradoxes which seem senseless unless we have faith. Jesus himself lives the beatitudes and at Easter we shall celebrate the greatest paradox of all – his resurrection from the dead – a vindication of his life and also of our lives with all their tensions and struggles, as well as their joys and celebrations. As we approach Lent this coming Wednesday let us support each other in our Christian discipleship and come to know more deeply God’s love for each one of us.
We welcome (Sat 4.30pm) through Holy Baptism Jack Mason Doyle (3 yrs) and Harry Robert Doyle (16mths), their parents Emma and Jason, and godparents James and Chippy, and Kevin, Karen and Sarah.
This afternoon (3.30pm) rehearsals continue for Bach’s St John Passion. This will be sung by a choir of some seventy voices drawn from all the local churches, together with orchestra and soloists, in Christ Church United Reformed Church on Saturday March 15th and here at St James on Sunday March 16th. Proceeds will go to Bromley Alzheimer’s Society. Tickets will be available from February 18th in the Rainbow Christian Book Shop in the high street and here at St James.
NB: The extra St John Passion rehearsal this week will be on Tuesday evening at 8pm (NOT WEDNESDAY) as this is Ash Wednesday. This is for singers who would like some extra note-learning practice.
Ash Wednesday (6th) is this Wednesday (day of fasting & abstinence) – the start of Lent. Masses at 9.30am (with St James School) and 8pm. Do try and get to Mass on Ash Wednesday, and let us see Lent as a time of growth and renewal. You might like to buy a copy of ‘My Day By Day’ which contains all the scripture readings for the Masses of Lent. This is excellent value at £1.
Sacrament of Reconciliation (“Confession”)
I do encourage you to receive this sacrament sometime during Lent. Following the success of our “confession day” in December confessions
will be heard throughout the day (10am – 5pm) on Saturday March 1st and a list will go up in due course. Please feel free to take the preparatory material to help you prepare your confession.
Two events next weekend
1. Parish Working Party to tidy and clear the site next Saturday 10am – 1pm. Could you please spare an hour (or more) to help in this work to help us prepare for our Health & safety inspection on March 26th. It would be useful to know who can come (please sign list in porch) – thank you.
2. Next Sunday evening at 6.30pm in the Methodist Church Bishop George Stack (Area Bishop in Westminster Diocese) will be “Face to Face” in conversation with the Rev. Paul Hulme (see
poster in porch.) Could we please have a really good turnout for this from St James? The issues discussed will affect us all, and there will be an opportunity to speak to Bishop George over refreshments afterwards. The session will last for exactly one hour.
Special Justice and Peace meeting In the Social Centre on Tuesday 12th February at 8.00pm. Paul Elliston (Fr Bryan’s nephew) will talk about his forthcoming aid work in earthquake-torn Lima, Peru. Please come!
Memorial Garden Many thanks to Frank Simon and Hugh Forde who are landscaping this area. The roses have arrived (£7.50 each) and you may like to buy one in memory of a loved one. Please place your details and money in an envelope in the Mass offerings safe in the porch.
Parking A parishioner’s car was hit last week in the Lakeswood Road car park resulting in a bill of £250. May I respectfully remind everyone to exercise great caution when parking in the church grounds, and also not to block people in – thank you.
Parish Administrator – Many of you have already met Clare Stone who now works in the presbytery Tuesday – Thursday 9.30am – 12.30pm. Clare will deal with most Parish matters and is proving to be an immense help in the work of administration.
Website - Do visit our Parish website! This is kept bang up to date and keeps you informed about the life of our dynamic, vibrant and ever growing parish community! A copy of Briefly can be found on the web so if you occasionally miss Mass here you can catch up with things.
Finally a thought for Ash Wednesday
‘Do not limit the benefit of fasting merely to abstinence from food, for a true fast means refraining from evil. Loose every unjust bond, put away your resentment against your neighbour, forgive him his offences. Do not let your fasting lead to wrangling and strife. You do not eat meat, but you devour your brother, you abstain from wine, but not from insults. So all the labour of your fast is fruitless.’ – Ambrose Bishop of Milan (339-397)
God Bless – Fr. Bryan
Church and Social Centre Rotas
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Wednesday Coffee |
Church Cleaning 06 February |
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J Keen |
M Howell |
S Hawker |
F Simon |
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Next Sunday 10 February
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Bar |
Tellers |
Coffee 10.00am |
Coffee 11.30am |
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P Cosgrave R Monaghan |
A Barradell L Bryan |
H Rogers M Pettifer J Headington |
Guides J Gibson V Terry A Huntington |
Readers
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6.00pm Sat. |
10.00am |
11.30am |
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F Scott E Evans |
K Salter P Murray |
Parade Mass |
Ministers of Holy Communion
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6.00pm Sat. |
10.00am |
11.30am |
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B Babb B Bajorek J Bajorek C Cahill M Cahill |
M O’Sullivan C Price C Wakefield T Wells R Wright P Crosland |
C Hawes M Akpata-Adesida B Bridle A Bunnage O Clutton R Del Guercio |