Twinned with the Parish of Embalenhle in South Africa Prayer
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Twinned with the Parish of Embalenhle in South Africa Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI NEWSLETTER Sunday 24th February 2013 Second Sunday of Lent Almighty ever-living God, Sunday 3rd March 2013 who has given your faithful servant Benedict Third Sunday of Lent grace to maintain his faith and hope in you Serving the Churches of: amid the labours of his apostolic ministry; graciously bestow upon him, we pray, St Basil the Great Luncies Road SS14 1SD the consolations of your Holy Spirit The Most Holy Trinity and uphold him in serenity of life. Wickhay SS15 5AD Through Christ our Lord. Amen. St Therese of Lisieux Florence Way SS16 6AJ Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. St Peter, pray for us. St Paul, pray for us. Parish Office St Benedict, pray for us. 71 Wickhay, SS15 5AD Mon – Thurs, 9.30 – 5.30 All holy men and women, pray for us. Tel 01268 281732 Fax 01268 526691 You can read the text of Pope Benedict’s resignation, www.basildoncatholics.org and the Statement by Bishop Thomas, on the parish website, www.basildoncatholics.org In addition, the CTS have published a great little booklet about the Conclave, which will answer all your questions about “What happens next?” It is available from CTS books, or you can download it for free at www.ctsbooks.org/pope Sacred Space in St Therese next Thursday 28th February will begin with prayers for Pope Benedict XVI and the Conclave as he steps down at 7.00pm English time, 8.00pm in Rome. PAGE 2 OUR LADY & ALL SAINTS Parish Pastoral Team Postal address Fr Dominic Howarth 01268 281732 Parish House [email protected] Holy Trinity Fr Brett Adams 01268 281732 71 Wickhay [email protected] Basildon SS15 5AD Sr Clare Kane 01268 553425 [email protected] Parish website Parish Office Administrator www.basildoncatholics.org Katrina Gadsden [email protected] The Parish Office phone is the Parish Youth Co-ordinator contact number for Katrina and Adam Adam O’Brien [email protected] 01268 281732 Parish Council Chair Mary-Catherine Bottjer Parish Pastoral Assistants [email protected] Area 1 – Southfields & Laindon West Patrick Gomes 01268 459328 [email protected] Area 2 – Great Berry and Langdon Hills Eileen Prizeman 07718530421 [email protected] Area 3 – Lee Chapel North and Laindon East Mari Heywood 07719009760 [email protected] & Teresa Walker 01268 410604 [email protected] Area 4 – Lee Chapel South and Kingswood Phyl McLaren 07970096319 [email protected] Area 5 – Fryerns and Ghyllgrove Isobel Parks 01268 289678 [email protected] Area 6 – Pitsea, Vange and Barstable Teresa Reed 01268 457337 [email protected] Area 7 – Burnt Mills and Felmore Sandra Bourke 01268 729865 [email protected] Area 8 – Chalvedon and Eversley John Bourke 01268 729865 [email protected] To arrange visits to the sick and housebound contact your local P.A. or Sister Clare New to the Parish? Please fill in a Parish welcome form & your local P.A. will contact you. To arrange visits to those in hospital, and for all administration enquiries, including newsletter items , please contact Katrina at the Parish Office. OUR LADY & ALL SAINTS PAGE 3 Total Offertory Giving Sunday 10th February 2013: £1,630.26 th Sunday 17 February 2013: £1,818.73 Thank you for your generosity. Brentwood Diocesan Trust Registered Charity No. 234092 nd The Big Dig – NEXT Saturday, 2 March, 9am – 4pm – Come and plant an orchard & sensory garden We need YOU! With yo ur wellies, your spade, your fork, your trowel! We hope the ground will be dry enough for planting; even if it isn’t we will dig holes ready for the trees when the ground is drier, and we will work manure into the soil so it is all good and ready. The trees will be tied to thick chestnut stakes, to preserve them while they mature. The apple varieties are local and include “Braintree Seedling”, “Mountford”, “Eros”, and “Westview Seedling.” They have all been sourced for us by the Essex Wildlife Trust. The pear varieties include “English Conference” which were the ones that grew here when Wickhay was all an orchard. The sensory garden includes fabulous scented plants, and plants that will produce glorious colour. Come and be part of it – don’t miss out! Any questions call Fr Dominic 01268 281732 any time from Wednesday onwards. “Stepping deeper into faith” – the first talk is TUESDAY 5th MARCH, 7.15 – 8.45pm, Holy Trinity Hall Fr Paul Keane – “The Person of Christ” Fr Paul Keane, MA (Cantab), STL, is Chaplain to the University of Essex and well read in Christology. Who is Jesus Christ? What did he say about himself? What did others say about him? How can we encounter Christ more deeply? This presentation is a chance to really deepen your knowledge of faith, on your doorstep. ALL WELCOME. Full details on the yellow form at the back of the church. …………………………………………… Mass with Anointing (“Healing Mass”) and Buffet Lunch – Saturday 9th March in Holy Trinity. Mass will begin at 12noon and will include the Sacrament of Anointing. A special effort is made to bring those who find it hard to travel to Mass. If you need transport or can offer transport please either speak to your PA or telephone John Bourke on 01268 729865. After Mass a buffet lunch will be provided in the hall. PAGE 4 OUR LADY & ALL SAINTS Finance Appeal – thank you Thank you for the very positive response to the financial information shared at Masses last week. If you were away, a summary of the parish finances are on a pink sheet, available in each church. Following the appeal, there was an increase in offertory income and more than twenty parishioners pledged to sign up to Gift Aid, with others becoming members of the 200 club. We will continue to closely monitor parish finances, and we welcome any feedback on the information shared. This can be given verbally or in writing to Fr Dominic, Fr Brett, Sr Clare or your local PA, or emailed to the Chair of the Parish Council, Mary Catherine, on [email protected] We know that for many families these are difficult times, and know that you will understand that our bills are rising too. Truly wonderful support is already given to the parish by so many people, not only financially but in hours and hours of voluntary time. There really would not be the vibrant range of parish activities, in well maintained premises, without both the finance and the volunteering. Thank you. Fr Dominic, Fr Brett, Sr Clare, the whole Parish Council and the Parish PAs. …………………………………………… First Communion. REMINDER the Parents’ meeting takes place on Tuesday 26th February from 7.30 – 9.00pm in Holy Trinity Hall. …………………………………………… “From the Crib to the Cross” An interesting look at some key Scripture, including time for reflection, prayer and music. Session A – Show us the Father – the real meaning of Rembrandt’s painting ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ . Holy Trinity 7.30pm – 8.30pm Wednesday 27th February Session B – One God, One Faith, One Baptism – reflecting on our relationship with God through scripture. St Basil’s 7.30pm – 9.00pm Wednesday 6th March (Session A & B together) St Therese 7.30pm – 8.30pm Wednesday 13th March Holy Trinity 7.30pm – 8.30pm Wednesday 20th March …………………………………………… Hall of Dreams Parish Youth Club CANCELLED for Friday 1st March. We apologise for this cancellation and the youth club will start again as usual for children in school year 6 - 8 on Friday 8th March 6.00 – 8.00pm at Holy Trinity. OUR LADY & ALL SAINTS PAGE 5 Reconciliation in Lent. There will not be Reconciliation Services this year, as people have asked for more opportunities for the Sacrament, at the different churches. So each Thursday night, there will be Sacred Space and Reconciliation. The details of which church for which week are on page 9. At 7.00pm Fr Dominic or Fr Brett will introduce the hour with a short examination of conscience, and will then be available for Reconciliation through until 8.00pm. During this time the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed. We hope this will give tranquility and peace, as well as six different opportunities for Reconciliation, in addition to those already offered at weekends. …………………………………………… CAFOD – our Parish Project for Lent 2013: a 10,000 Litre Water Tank. Last year your generosity meant a clean water supply for four villages; many lives transformed. This year the focus is hunger, around the campaign “IF …” – if only the resources in the world were fairly shared. There is more than enough food in the world; the issue is distributing it to the poorest people. So much of the campaign is about raising awareness about how our food reaches our plates; CAFOD speakers will talk about this at Masses this weekend (23/24 February). Our parish project is to raise £800 to help pupils at a school in Kenya to buy and set up a 10,000 litre water tank. This will catch and store scarce water when it rains, so the plants can be irrigated when it is dry. This will mean the school children have food to eat throughout the year. As before, buckets will be in front of the altar each Sunday in Lent – your small change will help those who are “Hungry for Change.” …………………………………………… MOFS (Ministry of Fun) cinema night. We are re-launching our group for children in schools years 4 & 5! Join us for a night at the movies on Tuesday 5th March at Holy Trinity Church Hall. 5.00 – 7.00pm. The film will be the latest release from the Disney Pixar Studio, 'Brave'.