Pentecost Sunday 19th May 2013

St John the Evangelist
New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025 Fr. Frank Rice;
Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314
email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com
websites: http://www.stjohnevang.co.uk http://www.lpa24.org
Pentecost Sunday 19th May 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: OFF OUR OWN BAT?
The Pentecost story is a remarkable one. The apostles had virtually gone into hiding for the seven weeks that followed Jesus’ death on Calvary. Today we meet them huddled in a room together. We have heard elsewhere how terrified they were that they even kept the doors locked. They were afraid that the authorities would come looking for them and that they too would be executed. To say they were demoralised would be putting it mildly.
Suddenly the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they are changed men. Out they go into the open and begin to preach about the marvels of God in all sorts of languages, yet, in a reversal of what happened when confusion reigned at Babel, everyone could understand what was being said.
In a world that prizes self-reliance the gift of the Spirit comes as an antidote. It teaches us that we are far too frail by ourselves to tackle the ills of our time, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, to establish God’s kingdom on earth. We can’t even pray off our own bat; we need the Spirit to speak through our mumbling to God. Yet with God’s spirit we are capable of sharing in the wonders that God wants for this world.
The Spirit does lots of things. It is the Spirit who consoles, supports, comforts, inspires, forgives, gives strength and wisdom, and leads us to know the truth. An ancient hymn speaks about the Spirit as “bending the stubborn heart and will, melting the frozen and warming the chill, washing the stains of guilt away”.
The greater the saint, the more reliant they are on God’s Spirit. For to recognise our need for the Spirit is not weakness but simple common sense. It is God who acts in our world and in our lives, using the Spirit to guide and direct us. The Spirit was given to us at our baptism and we can either allow him to lie dormant, preferring to rely on our own resources, or we can summon the power of God to shape and inform our thoughts, words and deeds.
The Spirit certainly changes things, as the apostles would tell you. He invites us on God’s adventure. But, first, we have to let him in through our locked door.

WORD OF GOD
Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven…each one bewildered to hear these men speaking their own language. (Acts 2: 5)

WORD FOR TODAY
God’s Spirit is the bond of unity among all humanity. Gender, race, colour and language take second place to what we share in Jesus Christ. What makes us one is not our difference but our unanimity in proclaiming that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

We have been given a wonderful Facilitator, namely, the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit awakens us to mysterious power within us, bids us live, and helps us grow. (Flor McCarthy)

As the wider world succumbs to the temptation to view with suspicion foreigners who have a different cultural background, the European Community looks with apprehension at its enlargement to include Eastern bloc countries and our newspapers pour disdain on every category of asylum seeker, Pentecost stands as the Christian clarion call that all men and women are equal, are united in the same Spirit and should be accorded by us the same dignity that God is pleased to lavish upon them. (Barbara Lloyd)

People fascinated by the idea of progress never suspect that every step forward is also a step on the way to the end. (Milan Kundera)

Fred was given a huge send off on Friday- one which he richly deserved. We will miss him. May he rest in peace after all his good works.

Pentecost 19th 5.30pm
10am
7.30pm Mgr. Sweeney
Parishioners
Prayer Meeting
Mon 20th N.B. 8.30
Moya Roberts
Tues 21st. 9.15 Fred Archbold
Wed 22nd. 9.15 Rev Gerry Courell
Thurs 23rd. 8am Private Int.
Friday 24th. 9.15 Rose Corrigan
Most HolyTrinity
26th 5.30pm
10am
7.30pm Patricia Elbay
Parishioners
Prayer Meeting
Please pray for our sick and those who care for them
Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & Colette Reevey. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.
Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass
The change in Mass time this coming Monday is to allow me to attend the funeral of a brother priest in Shrewsbury Cathedral. Sorry for any inconvenience. Money- thank you for your generosity
Offertory: £933 70p
Boiler: £8
Book Sales £7
120 Club winners: No. 61 P White £20
Vera has several numbers available- 50p per week-please see her or contact her on 645 6140

The Wirral coastal walk takes place this Sunday and many of our altar servers are amongst the walkers. The walk is a sponsored one and if you haven’t already done so perhaps you might want to add your name to the list. They are raising funds for both Claire House and their own St Stephen’s Guild. They are a great team of youngsters and the activities they share outside of church give them a real bond. Collection of sponsored money will start soon…..

NB. There is a now small charge of £5 for the re issue of Baptismal certificates. Please keep certificates in a safe place as they may be required at several junctures in a child’s life (e.g. change of school, marriage etc.)

At 3pm on Saturday 8th June at St Michael’s Woodchurch, the annual APF/Mill Hill mission mass will be celebrated. All are invited. See poster for details. You are requested to add your name to the list to give an idea of numbers for catering.

St Bede’s feast is on Saturday 25th. He was born in 673 and was a monk and historian of the early English church. He is known as the ‘light of the church’ in the early mediaeval period and a s a forerunner of the 8th and 9th century renaissance of the Western church.

Our condolences go to the Price family whose brother John died last Monday. May he rest in peace and may his family and friends be consoled by the resurrection of Christ. Sr. Marie has kindly donated 10 books in perfect condition. We have put them on the bookstall marked with a red ‘Smiley’. If you fancy taking one and would like to make a small donation then please feel free to do so.

The principal patron of our diocese of Shrewsbury is Our Lady Help of Christians. The title was adopted in 1851 when the clergy met for the first time. Devotion to Our Lady under this title developed after the success of the Christian defeat at the battle of Lepanto in 1571 and was later popularised by St John Bosco and the Salesians. The feast is on Friday 24th

This weekend we celebrated the 1st Communions of the third and final group. Please keep the children in your prayers. The celebration Mass for the whole group will be on 23rd June followed by a party in the parish centre.

We have reserved 38 tickets for the Lion King at £45 a head. The date is for Sunday 22nd June 2014 Matinee performance. We have until 28th June this year to pay for the tickets. If you still wish to be part of this group we will make plans to collect cheques over the next few weeks- but by weekend of 21st at latest. If you decide against joining the group then please delete your name from the list by that same date. Thank You

The local authority is considering removal of the transport subsidy for pupils attending denominational schools. This is explained more fully on the notice board along with a suggested letter to your MP/Council member.

At the recent PPT Meeting it was decided to hold a session of Prayer, Renewal and Discussion for the Eucharistic Ministers on Thursday 30 May starting at 7:30, in advance of them renewing their commitment at the Masses on Corpus Christi Sunday.

Ascension 12th May 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

WORD FOR TODAY

Ascension reminds us that we do not have a synthetic God. God sent us Jesus to be one of us, to know what life is like as a human being, and yet still to triumph. The ascension of Jesus is a cause for hope. In our relationship with God, the final frontier has happily been crossed.

WORD OF GOD

It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. (Hebrews 9:24-25)

The friends of Jesus are called, in other words, to offer themselves as signs of God in the world – to live in such a way that the underlying all-pervading energy of God begins to come through them and make a difference. If we are challenged as to where God is in the world, our answer must be to ask ourselves how we can live, pray and act so as to bring to light the energy at the heart of all things – to bring the face of Jesus to life in our faces, and to do this by turning again and again to the deep well of trust and prayer that the Spirit opens for us.

Ascension Day is a perfect day to draw attention to the fact that literalism is not only problematic, but impossible. Even if someone insists on maintaining the literal truth of the claim in Acts that Jesus literally went up into heaven, they cannot maintain the worldview of the first century Christians which provided the context for the affirmation. They knew nothing of light-years, distant galaxies or interstellar space without oxygen. And it is not possible, through some act of either will or faith, to forget absolutely everything that has been learned since then and believe as they did. Even those who willingly choose to disbelieve modern science are making a choice that the first Christians did not have, and thus accept dogmatically what early Christians naively assumed because they knew no better.

There are plenty who continue to claim they are biblical literalists. But there are no actual biblical literalists. Because even the precise words of the Bible, taken literally, mean something different today than they did almost 2,000 years ago. (James F McGrath)

Please remember in your prayers those children who will receive First Communion on 3 consecutive Saturdays in May. If you or anyone you know is planning to be present at any of the Masses then it is our hope that both the solemnity of the occasion and the sanctity of the building will be respected.

Ascension 12th May 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: SAME OLD SONG?

For many years, on the Thursday of Ascension, one of the BBC radio stations has been accustomed to beginning its broadcasts by playing a (formerly) well know hymn to celebrate the feast: “Hail the day that sees him rise.” This is quite surprising, since in an increasingly secularised society most people are unaware of the significance of the Ascension. The rather old-fashioned hymn does little to make the feast vibrant.

People often wonder why Jesus waited around on earth 40 days after his resurrection, but that period is no accident. Jesus had endured the Devil’s temptation for 40 days in the wilderness at the beginning of his public ministry, but now the tables were turned. In the post-resurrection period Jesus triumphantly paraded his victory over the Devil and all his works. During this time, the conqueror of death displayed his supremacy before his faithful followers so that they might share in the joy of his victory. But there was another reason. Those 40 days of his appearing after the resurrection were of immense value to the believers for they established the reality of his lordship. A single sighting of the risen Christ may have been open to question, but his many encounters with them would remove the doubts of the most sceptical among them and assure them that he was risen indeed.

The Ascension is not about Christ leaving us, but about his going before us. Those of us who gather to celebrate this feast are far from being orphans abandoned to our own religious devices. Our Ascension Day liturgical assembly gathers to celebrate the virtue of hope, conscious that our prayers are to the God whose Son has now passed from our sight, but our songs vibrate with the faith-filled conviction that where Christ has gone we will surely follow.

So Ascension is very much an Easter feast even though we are tempted to think of it as a separate event. In fact, we speak about the “Easter Mysteries” which include the passion of Christ, his resurrection, his ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Every time we take part in worship we are recalling some aspect or other of these four elements in the Easter story. That’s why Easter is not a one-day but a fifty-day feast of music and prayer.

Like the other three Easter events, Ascension is about hope. Christ who has risen above death and evil ascends on high, not to leave us desolate and alone, but to send us the ever-present help of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Christ has finished his mission on earth as he ascends to the Father. He returns to claim a share in God’s life for each one of us. Where he has gone we hope to follow. Maybe that’s why Ascension deserves a new son

Ascension	12th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Joe Moore Parishioners Prayer Meeting
Mon	13th	9.15	Rev Albert Knight
Tues	14th	9.15	Rev John Warnock
Wed	15th.	9.15	John Toner
Thursday	16th.	8am. 6pm	Private Int. Vigil service Fred Archbold
Friday	17th.	11am.	Funeral Mass Fred Archbold
Pentecost Sunday	19th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Mgr. Sweeney Parishioners Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & Colette Reevey. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £802 36p

Boiler: £14p

Book Sales £p

Peter’s dance money £128

120 Club winners: No. 55 M Ross

Vera has several numbers available- 50p per week-please contact her on 645 6140

4th Bebington (St Johns, New Ferry) Beaver Scouts have vacancies for boys & girls aged 6-8 years old in their colony. They meet on a Monday 6.15-7.15pm. in the Parish Centre. Please contact Sue Meadows 645 5245. The Cub Pack is looking for Adult helpers to start a Scout Troop. If interested please contact Sheena Schofield 334 8194. Full support & training available.

Christ is already in that place of peace, which is all in all. He is on the right hand of God. He is hidden in the brightness of the radiance which issues from the everlasting throne. He is in the very abyss of peace, where there is no voice of tumult or distress, but a deep stillness… stillness, that greatest and most awful of all goods which we can fancy; that most perfect of joys, the utter profound, ineffable tranquillity of the Divine Essence. He has entered into His rest. That is our home; here we are on a pilgrimage, and Christ calls us to His many mansions which He has prepared. (Blessed John Henry Newman)

Does your son or daughter (or anyone you know) wish to receive the sacrament of Confirmation? Please deliver names, addresses and other details through letter box of parish house ASAP and we will contact them. Thanks.

On Monday, members of the bereavement group will host their monthly coffee morning in the parish centre from 10am until 11am. Details are on the notice boards at the back of the church.

The Lion King is coming… to Liverpool Empire NEXT May 16th until July 5th. We are proposing organising a parish group. Are you interested? In order to gauge interest there is a form at the back of church. If you could just put your surname and the number of people you think you would like to go with you then we will carry it forward. A figure of around 40 has been mooted. This is a hugely successful musical and tickets will be in great demand and have already been on sale for a month. Names/numbers this weekend please!

Another reminder that the altar servers will be out in force next Sunday 19th May making their annual attempt at walking Wirral’s coast. Sponsorship forms are available at the back of church and they seek your support in their effort to raise funds for both their Guild of St Stephen as well as Claire House.

NB. There is a now small charge of £5 for the re issue of Baptismal certificates. Please keep certificates in a safe place as they may be required at several junctures in a child’s life (e.g. change of school, marriage etc.)

At 3pm on Saturday 8th June at St Michael’s Woodchurch, the annual APF/Mill Hill mission mass will be celebrated. All are invited. See poster for details. You are requested to add your name to the list to give an idea of numbers for catering.

Year of Faith

To celebrate the Year of Faith Shrewsbury Diocese Commission for the Promotion of Justice, Peace and Social Responsibility is holding a study afternoon and discussion on Saturday 18 May from 2.15 -5.30 at St Columba’s, Chester. Entitled ‘Drawing Inspiration from Vatican II’, the afternoon will be led by Brian Davies, former head of education at CAFOD. Hall opens from 1pm to socialize. Please bring a packed lunch, tea and coffee will be provided. All welcome – please invite others.

Director of Schools

The Diocese is seeking to appoint a practising Catholic with extensive educational experience at a senior leadership level to lead the Diocesan Education Service into its next stage of development.

Applications for the post are invited from suitably qualified and experienced candidates with qualities of vision and commitment and proven leadership and management skills. The successful candidate will have an informed understanding of the contemporary Church and the education challenges it faces.

The salary is £75,000 – £85,000 per annum commensurate with the successful candidate’s qualifications, experience and skills. See notice board for further details of closing date etc.

Monday is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. The feast celebrates Our Lady’s appearance to three Portuguese children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco six times from May 13th to October 13th in 1917. The message of Fatima is repentance so that the world may be transformed into a place of peace.

6th Sunday of Easter, 5th May 2013

WORD OF GOD

Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this is my gift to you.

(John 14: 27)

WORD FOR TODAY

Peace is not the absence of war; it’s the presence of deep-down calm. Just as you can experience joy even in sadness so too can you find peace even when all around you things seem to scream of conflict.

The Vatican has announced the prayer intentions of Pope Francis for May 2013.

The Pope’s general intention is “that administrators of justice may act always with integrity and right conscience.”

His missionary intention is “that seminaries, especially those of mission Churches, may form pastors after the Heart of Christ, fully dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel.”

The Pope uses Twitter regularly-if you wish to follow him, his Twitter address is

Pope Francis@pontifex.

The altar Servers are again seeking your sponsorship and support as they intend to join other groups on the Wirral coastal walk. As usual sponsorship monies will be divided between the Guild of St Stephen and Claire House.

Catholic Children’s Society will be opening a charity shop this month on Liscard Road Wallasey. They are asking for donations to sell. Please see letter on notice board. If you have any donations, please ring 652 1281 or Trish07824 329335

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

FAITH IN FOCUS: NO MORE TROUBLE?

Open a newspaper or switch on the TV and radio and you’ll discover lots of strange situations that have come into our lives. You’ll hear of Al Quaeda, suicide bombers, biometric passports, extraordinary rendition, Jihad, sarin gas, Taliban, heightened airport security, terrorism and extended police detention.

Our peace seems threatened. Yet if we look closely at history we’ll find that all of the above situations are simply our twenty-first century versions of ancient trouble. It’s hard to find any period in history when we can say that the world enjoyed peace. Is conflict endemic in the human condition? Are we programmed to create violent disagreement?

Politicians like to talk about world peace as if there were some set of policies that would guarantee it. Well, it’s true that material prosperity can create a climate of satisfaction but it doesn’t guarantee peace. And, yes, justice and tolerance can wipe away years of conflict. But this is not peace; it’s only truce; it’s only the absence of war. And the absence of war is not the same as peace.

The sort of peace that Jesus offers in today’s gospel as a gift to his Church is much deeper than cessation of hostilities. It is that “shalom” guaranteed by God’s Holy Spirit, that deep-down sense of the presence and all-embracing love of God that cannot be shaken by external circumstances. Christian peace means that we can have joy even in sorrow, tranquillity even in disturbance, faith even in doubt. The peace that Jesus offers is about integrity and wholeness, harmony and balance, serenity and security. And Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit who will teach the Christian how to live in this peace.

The source of a Christian’s peace is God. God is peace itself and without God we can experience no true shalom. To know that we are loved by God, that whatever might be happening all around us God still holds us in the palm of his hand, to realise that even death cannot destroy the life that God has given us, all of this creates that sense of wellbeing that accompanies real peace. So peace is not the absence of war; it’s the presence of God in our lives.

6th Sunday of Easter	5th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Private Intention Parishioners Prayer Meeting
Mon	6th	9.15	John Turner RIP
Tues	7th	9.15	May Kennedy
Wed	8th.	9.15	Tommy Molloy
Thursday	9th.	8am. 10am	Cecilia Smiga John Cooper funeral service
Friday	10th.	9.15	Private Int.
Sunday (Ascension)	12th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Joe Moore Parishioners Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, MargaretRandles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, FayChalloner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Raymond McNally & Colette Reevey. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £933 84p

Boiler: £11.90p

120 Club winners: No 6 P Donnelly £20

No 10 107 T Welch

FYI Heating & Lighting Bills

Hall £1,368.11p

Church £2653 92

House £1,222.70p

4th Bebington (St Johns, New Ferry) Beaver Scouts have vacancies for boys & girls aged 6-8 years old in their colony. They meet on a Monday 6.15-7.15pm. in the Parish Centre. Please contact Sue Meadows 645 5245. The Cub Pack is looking for Adult helpers to start a Scout Troop. If interested please contact Sheena Schofield 334 8194. Full support & training available

Fred Archbold died peacefully on Thursday 2nd May aged 91. His funeral Mass will be at 11am on Friday 17th . Fred has been a huge presence in the parish for so many years and has led an exemplary life serving his fellow men. He will be greatly missed by all of us. RIP Fred after all your work.

Bebington Churches Together have organised a number of events during Pentecost which include an evening of Songs and Praise and a Youth Event. Watch this space for more details

Legion of Mary, Wirral Curia will be holding a public rosary for world peace on Saturday, 11th May, at 2pm, in St Werburgh’s Square, Birkenhead

Does your son or daughter or anyone you know wish to be confirmed? Please deliver names, addresses and other details through letter box of parish house ASAP. Thanks.

Please remember in your prayers those children who will receive First Communion on 3 consecutive Saturdays in May. If you or anyone you know is planning to be present at any of the Masses then it is our hope that both thesolemnity of the occasion and the sanctity of the building will be respected.

Thank you for your donations to the Wirral foodbank. This is an on-going scheme and so the need for your support is also on-going. We need to support those in our community who need our help.

The food bank relies on non-perishable, in date, food donations to feed local people in crisis. The food bank has asked for the following items which they need urgently: tinned fruit, squash and juices, pasta sauces & mixes, feminine hygieneproductsinstant mash, tinned sponge puddings Please place food in the box provided at the back of church.

For further information please ring Cecily 0151 645 7645.

MARY’S MONTH

May is Mary’s month, and I

Muse at that and wonder why;

Her feasts follow reason,

Dated due to season.

Candlemas, Lady Day;

But the Lady Month, May

Why fasten that upon her,

With a feasting in her honour?

Ask of her, that mighty mother:

Her reply puts this other

Question: What is Spring?

-Growth in everything

-All things rising, all things sizing

Mary sees, sympathizing

With that world of good,

Nature’s motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind

With delight calls to mind

How she did in her stored

Magnify the Lord.

Well but there was more than this:

Spring’s universal bliss

Much, had much to say

To offering Mary May.

This ecstasy all through mothering earth

Tells Mary her mirth till Christ’s birth

To remember and exultation

In God who was her salvation.

(Gerard Manley Hopkins)

5th Sunday of Easter, 28th April, 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

5th Sunday of Easter, 28th April, 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: PARTY GUESTS

Joan and Tom invited their friends over for a belated housewarming. They had moved in last year with their three little girls, all under five and the youngest just two months old. It had been a struggle to get a mortgage for the house but at least they could look forward to a few years stability until the girls grew bigger and needed their own rooms.

Peter, their banker friend from the city, was there with his young son Gary. A custody battle meant that Peter only saw Gary a couple of times a month, and so he was pleased to have some time with his son and watch him careering round the house, enjoying himself with the other children.

Lucy from over the road was in her first year at university doing modern languages, finding city living very different from the farm on which she was brought up. She was talking to Mike. He lived with another man and when people at work found out they made his life such hell with snide comments that he was glad to take voluntary redundancy, though he was now looking for work.

When they came here from France, Jean-Luc and Suzette hoped to start afresh after failed marriages. Things were going well until Jean-Luc’s son, Alex, was arrested for drug possession. Stealing to feed his habit meant it was not long before he was in youth custody.

Bill and Margaret ran the local corner shop and were finding it hard to compete with the newly opened hypermarket. They were there with their middle child, Matt. When Alex went over to chat with Matt, they couldn’t help worrying that where Alex had been, Matt might follow.

No one at the party was normal. Yet they all were. Each was capable of love and each was in need of it.

Today Jesus tells us, “By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples”.

WORD OF GOD

By this love you have for one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples. (John 13:35)

WORD FOR TODAY

The love that Jesus showed went to extraordinary lengths, even to the point of death. A Christian’s life ought to reflect this same love. Most of us will not be called on to prove our love by dying, but the distance we are prepared to go is the measure of how much we love like Christ.

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving. (Mother Teresa)

To love means not to impose your own powers on your fellow man but offer him your help. And if he refuses it, to be proud that he can do it on his own strength. (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross)

5th Sunday of Easter	28th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Fred Brabandin Parishioners Prayer Meeting
Mon	29th	9.15	Aileen McGuigan
Tues	30th	9.15	Josie McGree
Wed	1st May	9.15 12 noon	Mrs Power Funeral Service Ian Carress
Thursday	2nd	8am.	Ann Sutton
Friday	3rd	9.15	Margaret Hughes
6th. Sunday of Easter	5th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm.	Private Intention Parishioners Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus, Colette Reevey. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £887.48p

Boiler: £16.42p

Book Sales £16.00p

120 Club winners: No 37 £20 T McLean

Bebington Churches Together have organised a number of events during Pentecost which include an evening of Songs and Praise and a Youth Event. Watch the bulletin for more details

Catholic Children’s Society will be opening a charity shop, in May, on Liscard Road Wallasey. They are asking for donations to sell. Please see letter on notice board. If you have any donations, please ring 652 1281 or Trish 07824 329335

Alpha Course with Churches Together. The next meeting will be held on Monday, 29th April at the Jireh Chapel. The meeting will start at 7pm with refreshments, followed by talk.

SJP Plant Sale 4th May, 9-11.30am in the College Dining Hall. Remember to call in to collect your plant orders. You may also find other plants that catch your eye to adorn your gardens and patios for the coming summer months. Do pop in the plants are great value.

Thanks to all who supported the Barn Dance last Friday. The numbers were small but the atmosphere was great. Everyone joined in the fun. I was told here were many aching limbs the next morning! After expenses, we made £110.

Legion of Mary, Wirral Curia will be holding a public rosary for world peace on Saturday, 11th May, at 2pm, in St Werburghs Square, Birkenhead

4th Bebington (St Johns, New Ferry) Beaver Scouts have vacancies for boys & girls aged 6-8 years old in their colony. They meet on a Monday 6.15-7.15pm. in the Parish Centre. Please contact Sue Meadows 645 5245. The Cub Pack are looking for Adult helpers to start a Scout Troop. If interested please contact Sheena Schofield 334 8194. Full support & training available

Friday, 3rd May

Ss Philip & James, Apostles. Philip from Bethsaida in Galilee, became a disciple of Jesus and one of the twelve. He is recorded in the fourth gospel as recognising in Jesus the one foretold by Moses and the prophets (John 1:45) and as introducing Gentiles to the Lord. According to Acts 8:5 he was the first to preach the gospel to non-Jews. James, son of Alphaeus, was also one of the twelve called by Jesus (Mark 3:18). Known as James the Less, he has been venerated traditionally as the author of the Letter of James and as leader of the Church in Jerusalem, where he died in the year 62.

Saturday, 4th May The English Martyrs. This group of religious, secular clergy, laymen and laywomen suffered death for conscience’s sake during a period of 150 years following the religious changes brought about by King Henry VIII. Those particularly celebrated in the Shrewsbury Diocese include St John Plessington, St Ambrose Barlow and St Margaret Ward.

4th Sunday of Easter 21st April. 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

4th Sunday of Easter 21st April. 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: CARING

Today is a day of prayer for vocations, but it’s much more than that. It is about the call God makes to each one of us to care.

There’s an advert on TV which shows an ordinary person washing the feet of an elderly lady. Nothing extraordinary about that. But it goes on to say that if you can do this, you could have a job as a carer.

Strange, isn’t it, that we should need such a thing as institutionalised care? For care is at the heart of the Christian vocation. And in a world where looking after your own interests counts as number one, going out of your way for others is considered an optional oddity. Yet we are called to care for each other like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, cares for us.

You and I are called to be a Good Shepherd and there is no shortage of opportunities, paid and unpaid. Good Shepherds really care about their children, spend time with them and keep supporting them even when they fail. In our schools they are those teachers who are interested in the students more than in their subject, who go that extra mile to bring out the hidden talents of the young people entrusted to them. They are the doctors and nurses in our hospitals who can see beyond the trying circumstances of red tape and bureaucracy to the face of the sick person who stands before them fearful and hurting. Good Shepherds are those countless people in local and national government whose motives spring from a burning desire for the welfare of their communities rather than political fame and fortune. And, of course, there is no shortage of Good Shepherds to be found in those who dedicate their lives as priests or religious for the service of the Gospel.

So Good Shepherd Sunday is not about sheep, grass and mountains. It is about real life. And while Jesus really is the Good Shepherd, his work requires others to follow in his footsteps. Including you and me; if we care.

WORD OF GOD

They will never hunger or thirst again…

because the Lamb who is at the throne

will be their shepherd…

and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17)

WORD FOR TODAY

The image painted by the scriptures is of a God who shepherds us to where the grass is greener, to a life that has an enduring, eternal quality. Our task is to listen out for the shepherds voice.

My religion is simple; my religion is kindness. (Dalai Llama)

When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of Creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open and love steps forth to heal everything in sight. (Michael Bridge)

Our greatest challenge at the beginning of the 21st century is poverty. Our greatest debt is the debt to our brothers and sisters in the poorest parts of the world. Our greatest hope is our common humanity and solidarity. And our greatest strength is our commitment to work together. (Cormac Murphy-O’Connor)

4th Sunday of Easter	21st.	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Safe Journey Parishioners Prayer Meeting
Mon	22nd.	9.15	Anniversary Mass
Tues	23rd.	10.00	Funeral Mass Tommy Molloy
Wed	24th	9. 15	William Kearns
Thursday.	25th	8am.	Gerry Topping
Friday	26th	9.15	Fred Diskin
5th. Sunday of Easter	28th	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm.	Fred Brabandin Parishioners Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £752.64p

Boiler: £7.70p

Book Sales £

120 Club winners: No 66 Mums & Tots £20

The Year of Faith meeting which was to have taken place on 22nd March has been rearranged for Friday, 26th April, 7-9pm at SJP, led by Fr Kevin Kelly. Theme Church in the Modern World Tea/coffee available from 6.30pm. All welcome

Message from Kath Markey

A big thank you to all those wonderful people who gave so generously to the missions. The red box total donations came to £255. God bless you all. The next collection will be October. Please continue to support the missionary work of the church in your prayers

Alpha Course with Churches Together, to be held from Monday 8/04/13 to 24/06/13, with each session being held at a different venue. This Monday, 22nd April, meeting will be held at Jireh Church, Teehey Gardens, Higher Bebington

This year we are invited to pray for Vocations on the occasion of the 50th World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood which is on Sunday, 21st April

“to reflect on the theme: “Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith”, which happily occurs during the Year of Faith, the year marking the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.”

CAFOD has written thanking us for £110 donation for Lenten Lunches and £324.38 for the Syrian Appeal. . Your generosity

will be blessed mightily. Letter is to be displayed on the Notice Board.

23rd April St George, Martyr. George was martyred at Lydda (Israel) around 303 in the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. His cult, which predates the legend of his slaying the dragon, spread quickly through East and West. During the crusades, George was seen to personify the ideals of Christian chivalry, and was adopted as patron of several city-states and countries.

26th April St Mark, Evangelist. Evangelist and companion of both Peter and Paul. Paul took him, with Barnabus, on his first missionary journey. Peter refers to him as his ‘son’, which accords with the tradition that Mark’s gospel represents the teaching and memoirs of Peter. He is the patron saint of Venice, where his body and relics remain.

3rd Sunday of Easter, 14th.April. 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

3rd Sunday of Easter, 14th.April. 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: CALL- FALL- RECALL

Peter’s at the heart of today’s gospel story. Jesus has been risen from the dead for some time by now. The disciples seem to have gone back to their old jobs for a while as we meet them up north in Galilee, fishing on the lake.

Given all that went on in Jerusalem you could be forgiven for thinking that Jesus might be better off without them. He’d prepared them for their mission and spent three years getting them ready, teaching them day in and day out. Then when it came to the crunch, as he was facing his trial, they all deserted him. Peter famously denied three times that he even knew him. His northern accent nearly gave him away.

Yet the risen Jesus revisits the old haunts of Galilee, the same place that he had multiplied the loaves and fish. Once again some sort of miracle takes place as the fishermen catch a huge haul of fish, and once more they share a meal on the banks of the lake like they had done on that glorious day with the 5,000 people in the crowd.

Peter, like you and me, had been called by Jesus. He’d been given a mission, to tell the world that God has a plan for living that puts all other ways of life in the shade. To believe in Jesus is to light the blue touch paper. Like you and me Peter was found wanting. He turned his back on Jesus when things got hot and he deserted him for the quiet life, the life that he’d known before meeting Jesus.

What does Jesus do? He simply asks Peter whether or not he loves him. Three times, as many times as Peter had denied him. And when Peter professes his devotion Jesus reinstates him, telling him to feed his sheep, to look after those entrusted to him.

Call, fall and recall: the story of our lives. In our hearts we want to serve the God who has called us, yet we so often fail, giving up when something seemingly more attractive comes along. We’re not evil, just unreliable. Like Peter.

And the supreme way that we are recalled by this risen Lord, who constantly comes to raise us up again, is by eating and drinking with him. Not merely bread and fish, but his risen body and blood.

WORD FOR TODAY

How do we know if we really do love God? Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him and then tells him to “feed my sheep”. The way we take care of each other, the way we feed God’s sheep, is the benchmark that determines how genuine our love of God is.

Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage Update

Bookings are being taken for the Annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes which leaves the diocese on July 23rd overland and July 24th for the air section with both sections leaving Lourdes on Tuesday July 30th. This year the theme in Lourdes ties in with the Year of Faith as we are invited to consider ‘Lourdes – a door of faith.’ All are invited and welcome to join the pilgrimage especially those less able who are may need assistance whilst on pilgrimage.

Costs have been kept to the same as last year and there is a full range of hotels available. Full details are available on the recently upgraded website www.shrewsburypilgrimage.co.uk or from the Pilgrimage Office, St Peters, 16, Green Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 4EA or phone 07773324264

Joan Hannam and Ann Murray will be jointly looking after the parish bulletin. If you have any items for inclusion, please email or put in writing, clearly marked for Ann /Joan. Ann will be at the helm for the next few weeks so she apologises now for any mistakes!!

Parish Team Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 17th April, 7.30pm. Look forward to seeing you all.

3rd. Sunday of Easter	14th.	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Joe Moore Parishioners (Church Parade) Prayer Meeting
Mon	15th.	9.15	Jack McCormick
Tues	16th.	9.15 10.30	Anniversary Mass Funeral Service Henry Thompson
Wed	17th.	9. 15 7.30	Mike Gallagher PPT Meeting
Thursday.	19th.	8am.	Fr Jim Matthews
Friday	20th.	9.15	James Carolan
Saturday	21st.	12md	Carmelite Mass
4th. Sunday of Easter	22nd.	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm.	Safe Journey Parishioners Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £995.63p

Boiler: £61.45p

Book Sales £5.52

120 Club winners: No 117 – A Corr £20

It is precisely in our brokenness that we discover our need for God. It is in our weakness that we find we must reach out for one another. It is in our lack of vision that we are forced to search for light. And, as we venture tentatively into our darkness, holding fast to the hope that God has been there before us, we begin to view the immensity of

the love that has been given to us. (Wendy M. Wright)

Perhaps it is no coincidence that the number of fish caught in the net was 153. At the time of Christ it was thought that there were exactly that number of species of fish. The implication is that no one was to be left out of the disciples’ quest as “fishers of men”. (Bede Bradford)

Even the most cursory glance at the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus reveals that most took place in the context of a meal. And is it not fitting, then, that Christians should look for their risen Lord first and foremost in the celebration of his Supper? (Margot Russell)

Alpha Course with Churches Together, to be held from Monday 8/04/13 to 24/06/13, with each session being held at a different venue, the first being Jireh Chapel. Each host Church will provide refreshments and the evening’s Speaker.

The new date for the Barn Dance is Friday, 19th April, 7.30-11pm.- the date is approaching fast so get your names down pronto! By supporting this family event you will be helping the growth of the parish centre.

Tickets on sale now.

Adult. £5

Family Ticket (2 Adults, 2 children) £15.

Up to 14 years £3.

Please put your name and number of tickets on sheet in church porch. See Poster for details or contact Ann Murray 645 5514.

Congratulations to two newly married couples, Michael Smethurst & Rachel Shepherd; Keith Williams & Julie Murphy who were married last week. May they have long and happy marriages.

The Year of Faith meeting which was to have taken place on 22nd March has been rearranged for Friday,

26th April, 7-9pm at SJP, led by Fr Kevin Kelly. Theme Church in the Modern World

Tea/coffee available from 6.30pm. All welcome.

CAFOD has written thanking us for £784.57 donation for Lenten Family Fast. Letter is to be displayed on the Notice Board

Children’s’ Liturgy will recommence this Sunday at 10am Mass. Hope you all enjoyed your Easter break and eggs!!!!

Easter Sunday 7th.April. 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

Easter Sunday 7th.April. 2013

WORD OF GOD

The people were loud in their praise and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily.

(Acts 5:12-13)

WORD FOR TODAY

The early Church grew through the witness of the apostles. Today God calls you and me to be witnesses to the power of the resurrection in our lives. It is through the quality of our relationships with each other that people will come to see that Jesus is risen and active in our world. Every one of us can share in making this a reality.

The church that prays together stays together. Yes, but it must not stop there! The church that stays together decays together.

(Michael Marshall)

All over this magnificent world God calls us to extend his Kingdom of shalom peace and wholeness of justice, of goodness, of compassion, of caring of sharing, of laughter, of joy and of reconciliation. God is transfiguring the world right this very moment because God believes in us and because God loves us.

(Desmond Tutu)

A person who never has doubts about their faith is a person who has never been graced with the gift of trust.

(Renee Berry)

Early notification! Survive-Miva are to make an appeal on 30th June with local girl Teresa Codd (of St Anne’s) coming to remind us about the purposes of the organisation and to seek our support.

FAITH IN FOCUS: SHALOM

After the tumultuous events of Holy Week, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent trial and execution, where were the disciples? Not out on the streets preaching and teaching, not mounting a campaign to prove the innocence of the dead Jesus, but all huddled together in a rented room with the doors locked.

They were afraid. Perhaps they feared that the guards would come and look for them as they had done for their master. The gospel simply says the doors were locked “for fear of the Jews”.

What Jesus says to them, when like a ghost he appears in the locked room, is “Shalom”. They would have known this to be the usual greeting which people exchanged on meeting. Yet Jesus says to them a second time “Shalom”.

Shalom doesn’t simply mean “peace”. It means that deep-down feeling of health, prosperity, security and freedom. It is a positive thing rather than just the absence of disquiet. Shalom is that unshakeable sensation that we are held in the palm of God’s hand and nothing can ever separate us from him.

When we feel afraid or disquieted it’s a comfort to know that even the disciples found it hard to be calm all the time. When we begin to doubt the substance of our faith, when we become discouraged and think we’re getting nowhere, Jesus has one simple word for us: “Shalom”.

Faith in the risen Lord does not mean that everything becomes rosy, that we wander through life with no problems or concerns. You could argue that the more a person believes, the deeper the questions and doubts that arise. But what it does mean is that we are able to view the same realities from a different perspective, through a different lens. The fact that Jesus is risen from the dead means that we no longer face things alone. We no longer are held in the grip of anxiety and fear. Jesus rose not to abandon us but to be by our side. He is as present to us today as he was in that room with the disciples.

And, whatever our fears are, his presence offers us Shalom.

2nd Sunday of Easter	7th.	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Fred Diskin Parishioners Prayer Meeting
Mon	8th.	9.15	Mary Rigby
Tues	9th.	11am.	Funeral Mass Fred Diskin
Wed	10th.	9. 15	Emma Rooke
Thursday.	11th.	8am.	Mrs. Whalley
Friday	12th.	9.15	Rev Thomas Archer
3rd. Sunday of Easter	14th.	5.30pm 10am 7.30pm.	Joe Moore Parishioners Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £1470. 97p

Boiler: £22.29p

Book Sales £20

120 Club winners: No 26 P. Topping

The Year of Faith meeting which was to have taken place on 22nd March will be rescheduled for this month. We will pass on the date as soon as we are informed and will rely on you to spread the news.

Catholic Singles is an organisation which helps single adult Catholics of all ages meet, either one to one or through social events. Please tel. 0161 941 3498, visit the website info

Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage Update

Bookings are being taken for the Annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes which leaves the diocese on July 23rd overland and July 24th for the air section with both sections leaving Lourdes on Tuesday July 30th. This year the theme in Lourdes ties in with the Year of Faith as we are invited to consider ‘Lourdes – a door of faith.’ All are invited and welcome to join the pilgrimage especially those less able who are may need assistance whilst on pilgrimage.

Costs have been kept to the same as last year and there is a full range of hotels available. Full details are available on the recently upgraded website www.shrewsburypilgrimage.co.uk or from the Pilgrimage Office, St Peters, 16, Green Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 4EA or phone 07773324264

We have 2 weddings next week on 12th and 13th. Please pray for the 2 couples as they begin their married lives together:

Michael Smethurst & Rachel Shepherd and Keith Williams and Julie Murphy.

Shrewsbury Catholic Charismatic Renewal Weekend at Pantasaph Friary, 26th-28th April.

Theme “The New Evangelisation”

Speaker: Fr. Gerard Kelly. Cost £90.

Please see notice board for details or Ann Murray 645 5514.

Final reminder!

5th New Ferry Brownies are celebrating their 40th birthday in this month. They are having church parade on 14th April at 10am followed by refreshments in the church hall. All past Brownies, leaders and helpers are invited to join them.

Alpha Course with Churches Together, to be held from this coming Monday 8/04/13 to 24/06/13, with each session being held at a different venue, the first being Jireh Chapel. Each host Church will provide refreshments and the evening’s Speaker.

Next Bereavement Group Coffee Morning will take place this coming Monday 8th April 10-11am in the Parish Centre. See notice board for details of these meetings.

The new date for the Barn Dance is Friday, 19th April, 7.30-11pm. By supporting this family event you will be helping the growth of the parish centre.

Tickets on sale now.

Adult. £5

Family Ticket (2 Adults, 2 children) £15.

Up to 14 years £3.

Please put your name and number of tickets on sheet in church porch. See Poster for details or contact Ann Murray 645 5514

Offertory envelope number 50 was found in the car park but was handed in safely and contents were intact. Thank you.

Easter Sunday March31st. 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

Easter Sunday March31st. 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: TODAY’S THE DAY

Today’s the day of victory when Christ rose from the grave, conquering everything before him and restoring us to the life that God intended for us…

Today’s the day when our God lets us know in the most vivid form possible just how much we are loved…

Today’s the day when the idols of comfort, fleeting pleasure and false security go fleeing as Jesus proclaims the power of the only true God…

Today’s the day when Satan is cast down as injustice, violence, greed, pride and oppression are overcome by one man’s obedience…

Today’s the day when the empty promises that cannot satisfy us are shown in their true light…

Today’s the day when even death is subdued as we announce Christ’s shattering of the tomb and rejoice that our life with God is never ending…

Today’s the day when we are reborn once more to live as members of Christ’s Body, the Church, in unity with our fellow Christians scattered over the globe…

Today’s the day when the darkness of our lives is dispersed as the Light of the World rises upon us…

The power of this day drives away all evil, washes away all guilt, restores lost innocence, brings joy to those who mourn, casts out hatred, brings peace and humbles earthly pride.

Today is Easter Day. May we experience its power in our lives and in the lives of those we love.

A very Happy Easter!

WORD FOR TODAY

Christ is risen from the dead and we share in his victory. From now on there is nothing that can ever claim such a hold over us as to drag us down permanently. Death, sin and evil have been taken on and have been defeated. The Church joyfully proclaims today that Jesus is Lord over all life, to the glory of God the Father.

WORD OF GOD

Christ our Passover has been sacrificed;

let us celebrate the feast then, in the Lord.

(I Corinthians 5:7-8)

Easter baptism has its consequences. There is a great mystery to learn and a great mission to begin. In more and more parishes, Eastertime is not just a remembering something that happened long ago. It is Christ dead and risen in our midst. It is the Spirit breathing in us today. For Easter is made present in the neophytes, the newly baptised among us. Easter is made present in the newly confirmed and those who are brought to the table to make their first eucharist. And it is baptism and anointing and eucharist which tells us what to do with these fifty days. (Peter Scagnelli)

Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage Update

Bookings are being taken for the Annual Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes which leaves the diocese on July 23rd overland and July 24th for the air section with both sections leaving Lourdes on Tuesday July 30th. This year the theme in Lourdes ties in with the Year of Faith as we are invited to consider ‘Lourdes – a door of faith.’ All are invited and welcome to join the pilgrimage especially those less able who are may need assistance whilst on pilgrimage.

Costs have been kept to the same as last year and there is a full range of hotels available. Full details are available on the recently upgraded website www.shrewsburypilgrimage.co.uk or from the Pilgrimage Office, St Peters, 16, Green Lane, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 4EA or phone 07773324264

Holy Saturday Easter Sunday	30th/31st	Vigil 7.30pm 10am	Parishioners Jose McGree
Mon	1st	10am.	Gerry Topping (Birthday 31/3/13)
Tues	2nd	9.15	Laurence Nugent (anniversary)
Wed	3rd.	9. 15 10am	Teresa Young (Birthday 31/3/13) Funeral Service Michael McDermott
Thursday.	4th.	8am.	Betty Crebbin
Friday	5th.	9.15	Aileen McGuigan
2nd. Sunday of Easter	7th.	5.30pm 10am	Fred Diskin RIP Parishioners

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Owen & Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £765. 63p

Syria appeal (CAFOD) £324 48p

Lenten Lunches (CAFOD )£108 06p

Boiler: £p

120 Club winners: No 55 M Ross £20

No 39 S Armstrong £10

Fred Diskin died peacefully on Tuesday after a sudden illness. Please join me in praying for consolation for his wife Pat, his daughters and all family and friends who mourn him.

May he rest in peace.

Christ easters in me because I trust that, whatever happens, God still cares for me. God will always be there. Such trust is indeed Christ’s resurrection gift to us begun in baptismal water, fed with his flesh, recovered in the sacrament of reconciliation. (Walter Burghardt)

O blessed Alleluia of heaven! No more anguish, no more adversity. No more enemy. No more love of destruction. Up above, praise to God, and here below, praise to God. Praise mingled with fear here, but without disturbance above. Here the one who chants must die, but there he will live for ever. Here we chant in hope, there in possession; here it is Alleluia en route, there it is Alleluia on arriving home. (Augustine)

Has anyone borrowed a Cd from our collection, the title is ‘Out of Darkness’ ?

The Year of Faith meeting which was to have taken place on 22nd March will be rescheduled for April. We will pass on the date as soon as we are informed and will rely on you to spread the news.

Shrewsbury Catholic Charismatic Renewal Weekend at Pantasaph Friary, 26th-28th April.

Theme “The New Evangelisation”

Speaker: Fr. Gerard Kelly. Cost £90.

Please see notice board for details or Ann Murray 645 5514.

Message from Brown Owl (Chris Foster) 5th New Ferry Brownies are celebrating their 40th birthday in April. We are having church parade on 14th April at 10am followed by refreshments in the church hall. All past Brownies, leaders and helpers are invited to join us.

Alpha Course with Churches Together, to be held from this coming Monday 8/04/13 to 24/06/13, with each session being held at a different venue, the first being Jireh Chapel. Each host Church will provide refreshments and the evening’s Speaker.

Many thanks to all who have helped us on our journey through Lent and to all who have helped to prepare the church and the liturgies for Holy Week: Cleaners; musicians; flower arrangers; readers; altar servers to name but a few and not forgetting those who led Lenten Devotions each Sunday afternoon and the Friday soup makers. Last but by no means least, my personal thanks to Philip, who has been doing most of the donkey work (in the absence of the 4 legged one last week!)

Next Bereavement Group Coffee Morning will take place this coming Monday 8th April 10-11am in the Parish Centre.

The new date for the Barn Dance is Friday, 19th April, 7.30-11pm. Tickets on sale from Easter.£5 Adult.

Family Ticket (2 Adults, 2 children) £15. Up to 14 years £3. Please put your name and number

of tickets on sheet in church porch. PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR PARISH CENTRE. See Poster for details AND

Ann Murray 645 5514

Passion Sunday March 24th. 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

Passion Sunday March 24th. 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: WALKING BY

Not everyone in the crowd on Palm Sunday and Good Friday was bothered about the goings-on surrounding Jesus of Nazareth. There were plenty of people just going about their own business who got caught up or inconvenienced by the fuss. Another demonstration on a Sunday; another public execution on a Friday. So what’s new?

Those whose lives were changed by the events had to follow Jesus closely. They had to feel for him, to get involved in his journey and identify with what it was all about. Anyone could just walk by.

And nothing has changed. We too can just walk by as the events of that first Holy Week unfold now before our eyes. How? Well, we can simply come to Church for our Three Day Feast (Maundy Thursday/Good Friday/Easter) and treat it as a walk down memory lane as we recall the events of so long ago. We can sing the hymns, say the prayers, carry the palms and light the candles. Or we can choose to follow Jesus in such a way that it bites into the reality of our lives. And we can do this in two ways.

Firstly, we can examine the way we react to suffering when it comes our way. Is suffering (not just illness but the mental anguish that comes with tragedy or misfortune) something that we avoid like the plague? No one wants to invite suffering on themselves, but how do we treat it when it comes our way? Do we have a spiritual attitude to suffering? Is it something that we take just as a bugbear or is it something that we see as an opportunity to bear as Christ bore it, to join our suffering with that of Jesus on Calvary? Do we see adversity as a nuisance or can we grow as a result of the way we react to it?

Secondly, do we look at the suffering of other people just from a distance, like those who went about their business as Jesus was humiliated and executed? When we view the pictures of misery that assault us from our TV sets do we react in an active way or do we think of it as mere information or, God forbid, entertainment? Do the stories in our newspapers really affect us or have we become immune to them? And what about the suffering that we see in the faces of those who live on our streets and in our places of work?

Passion (Palm) Sunday and Good Friday give us a choice. Christ’s passion is still going on. We can stand and watch in our own day, or we can put our faith into real action.

WORD OF GOD

Each morning he wakes me to hear, to listen like a disciple…

The Lord comes to my help, so that I am untouched by the insults.

(Isaiah 50:4-7)

WORD FOR TODAY

We follow the events of this coming Holy Week as onlookers in the crowd. We see what the world sees; we hear what the world hears. Yet God offers us the chance to move beyond the obvious, to embrace the gift of life that comes as a result of Jesus’ death. Will we cheer for Barabbas or will we use the week to renew our commitment to the innocent Lamb who takes away our sin and removes our shame?

The figure of the crucified invalidates all thought which takes success for its standard. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. (Edmund Burke)

Passion Sunday	24th.	5.30pm 10am 3pm 7.30	Pope Francis Parishioners Stations of the Cross Prayer Meeting
Mon	25th.	9.15 7.30pm	Aileen McGuigan Reconciliation
Tues	26th.	9.15	Gerard Heaney
Wed	27th.	11am	Funeral Mass John Murray
Holy Thursday.	28th.	7.30	Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday	29th.	12md 3pm 7.30	Journey of Easter from Lady Lever Celebration of the Lord’s Passion Good Friday meditation
Holy Saturday Easter Sunday	30th. 31st.	11am 7.30pm 10am 7.30pm	Morning Prayer & shared lunch Easter Vigil Jose McGree Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Owen & Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £856 43p

Boiler: £11. 10p

120 Club winners: No

The programme for Holy Week is displayed on the notice boards. As well as everything else we have a funeral Mass on Wednesday at 11am. so please also take note of that as well remembering the grieving family in your prayers.

If you require a copy of a baptismal certificate we are making a small charge of £5. Cheques should be made out to St John’s. There is a cost involved for us and it may remind people that the originals should be kept carefully.

As a result of recent enquiries, we are going to draw up a list of suggested fees for various occasions which we will keep in the sacristy. If you wish to know what any of the fees are then please ask to see the list. Fees go to the various ministers for sacraments/services (eg. weddings, funeral, baptisms.)

ANOTHER WARNING- British summer times begins at 1am on Easter Sunday (31st March) when the clocks go forward one hourso if it is your intention to be present at 10am Mass then you need to be fully aware of this and tie a few knots or post a few notes for yourself!

Message from Brown Owl (Chris Foster) 5th New Ferry Brownies are celebrating their 40th birthday in April. We are having church parade on 14th April at 10am followed by refreshments in the church hall. All past Brownies, leaders and helpers are invited to join us.

A very big thank you to all who helped (in so many ways) to prepare the parish for the Bishop’s pastoral visit last week. He was very impressed with everything he experienced and everyone he met and I felt proud of all parishioners.

Think we got a 5* rating!

Message from Eileen Bell

£245 worth of goods were sold during Traidcraft fortnight and I would like to thank everyone who came and looked at what was on offer and for purchasing so much. I am delighted! Over the past 12 months £1440 worth of

goods were sold at the stall and bearing in mind that I was absent for most of last year, this is a fantastic result.

Thank you Eileen for your dedication!

Many congratulations to Claudia Fryer who was silver medallist in the UK Young Scientist of the Year 2013. Her interviewers included Professor Brian Cox! What a fantastic achievement. In the autumn she will be off to university and we will miss her flute playing and graceful altar serving but we are very proud of her on all accounts.

As we enter Holy Week, I would like to ask you all to participate as fully as possible in all the ceremonies of the three days. The timetable of events is on the notice boards and included here, so keep your newsletter safe to refer to.

I apologise for being an absentee landlord on Wednesday when we hosted Bebington Churches Together event in the hall. The RE department in the school was having a snap Ofsted inspection and I had to be present. I am quite sure Philip did a great job.

Speaking of deacons, Mike has had another hospital stay with a rather nasty infection in his hand. He has been in the wars of late. Please remember our deacons in your prayers because without their help and that of so many others, it would be nigh impossible to run this parish. Thank you all.

The cross on which Jesus hung did not disappear after Joseph of Arimathea took his body down from it; crucifixion, mental and physical anguish, is writ large over human existence and it calls for a Christian response. (Walter Burghardt)

The flower ladies have decided not to have a collection for Easter because there has only been a short time since their Christmas collection and they have sufficient funds at present. They will have one later in the year- perhaps in June. They thank you for your continued support.

5th. Sunday of Lent March 17th. 2013

St John the Evangelist

New Ferry, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury, Reg. Charity 234025

Fr. Frank Rice;

Revd. Philip White; Revd. Michael Daly phone: 0151 645 3314

email: stjohntheevangelist

websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org

5th. Sunday of Lent March 17th. 2013

FAITH IN FOCUS: LOOKING BACK?

Wiping the slate clean…forgiving and forgetting…turning over a new leaf….beginning again from square one…. We all know what these things mean but we find it hard to put them into practice.

First of all we have difficulty in forgetting what others have done to us, even if we have forgiven them. There’s always that niggling raking-over of how we’ve been mistreated or taken advantage of. And in this sense our forgiveness becomes only partial.

Then we have difficulty in believing that God doesn’t behave in the same fashion with us when we commit sin. Despite God’s assurances, we still have a tendency to believe that we come to God with a “reputation” and that our past offences are somehow still lying on the record.

But when Jesus is confronted with the woman taken in adultery he makes it clear how God acts towards us. No one has condemned the woman and neither does he. He simply tells her to go away and not to sin any more.

Jesus’s words are about the future, not the past. What’s done is done and all that anyone can ever ask of us is not to repeat the same mistakes. And in today’s reading from Isaiah God tells us, “No need to recall the past, no need to think about what was done before. See, I am doing a new deed”.

A new deed. That’s what happens when God grants pardon. God’s forgiveness makes a completely new person of us since we are restored to the likeness of our maker. God’s forgiveness is not about cobbling together the best of a bad bunch or botching up what is still usable. When God forgives he creates a brand new situation, a fresh opportunity, a vast horizon, a complete rehabilitation and a “new deed”.

As we approach the last part of Lent we have the chance to come clean before God and to ask for the forgiveness that the gospel offers. Lent summons us to live in this passing world with our hearts set on the world that will never end. We do this in confidence, knowing that God is not here to condemn us but simply to say, “Forget the past and look to the future”.

WORD OF GOD

No need to recall the past, no need to think about what was done before.

See, I am doing a new deed, even now it comes to light: can you not see it? (Isaiah 43:18-19)

WORD FOR TODAY

We learn by our mistakes. But dwelling on the past prevents us from moving forward since it fails to look the present full in the face. God knows the sins of our past, but is much more concerned for us to grow into fullness of life. Accepting God’s forgiveness and moving on is the first step in this process.

The true physician does not preach repentance; he offers absolution.

(H L Mencken)

Forgiveness needs to be accepted, as well as given, before it is complete.

(C S Lewis)

Only one petition in the Lord’s Prayer has any condition attached to it: it is the petition for forgiveness. (William Temple)

5th.Sunday of Lent	17th.	5.30pm 10am 3pm 7.30	Parishioners Dorothy Welch Stations of the Cross Prayer Meeting
Mon	18th.	9.15	John Devine
Tues	19th.	9.15	Laurence Hanley
Wed	20th.	9.15	Eric Smith
Thurs.	21st	8am	Kevin Good
Fri	22nd.	11am 11.45	M Charles Lenten Lunch- proceeds to CAFOD
Passion Sunday	24th.	5.30pm 10am 3pm 7.30pm	Pope Francis Parishioners Lenten Devotions Prayer Meeting

Please pray for our sick and those who care for them

Fred Archbold, Colette Howes, Barbara Gillespie, Doreen Wrigg, John Price, Frances Heslin, Liam Halpen, Margaret Randles, Teresa McLean, Josie Cohen, Peter Williamson, Kathy Smith, Marjorie Hoey, Esther Roche, Fay Challoner, Sheila Stockley, Joan & Charles Reynolds, Kath Holland, Mary Bryden, Owen & Josie Toohey, Betty Kennedy, Helen Worth, Christopher Hadfield, Christopher & Raymond McNally & John McManus. Remember also those in the parish who do not wish their illness to be made public but who also need our prayers.

If this list needs updating then please do inform one of our clergy.

Please note that Morning Prayer is celebrated 15 minutes before the start of each weekday mass

Money- thank you for your generosity

Offertory: £888 17p

Boiler: £41 25

Books £ 9.99 p

Peter’s Dance money £110

120 Club winners: No £20

EARLY WARNING- British summer times begins on Easter Sunday (31st March) so if it is your intention to be present at 10am Mass then you need to be fully aware of this and tie a few knots or post a few notes for yourself! We should be able to have an early Easter Vigil Mass -probably 7.30pm because we won’t have to wait for it to go dark (every cloud has a silver lining….)

Unfortunately Bishop Mark is unable to be present for the Saturday evening Mass as he also had a commitment to meet the Deacons of the diocese on Saturday and thus was subject to time constraints. We welcome him for Sunday Mass and I am sure he will be happy to meet you in the hall after Mass.

Shrewsbury Catholic Charismatic Renewal Weekend at Pantasaph Friary, 26th-28th April.

Theme “The New Evangelisation”

Speaker: Fr. Gerard Kelly. Cost £90.

Please see notice board for details or Ann Murray 645 5514.

Message from Brown Owl (Chris Foster) 5th New Ferry Brownies are celebrating their 40th birthday in April. We are having church parade on 14th April at 10am followed by refreshments in the church hall. All past Brownies, leaders and helpers are invited to join us.

Despite Colette’s earnest prayers, the materials for the new notice boards have not arrived in time for this weekend. She has done a temporary job so that you have some idea of what she has in mind. Of course she is open-minded and if other groups are looking for space she will endeavour to help you. We are not counting our (Easter) chickens but hope that all will be in place by then. New posters into the box at the back please.

Going, going…..You have had flyers with details of the four Lenten meetings which are scheduled to take place on Fridays at SJP. The final one of these is on 22nd. March and will be presented by Fr. Kevin Kelly. So far we have been treated to 3 wonderful evenings pondering the gifts of Vatican 11 and I have every reason to believe that this one will live up to previous standards. If you haven’t attended any of the others try to make it to the final one. They are stand-alone events.

Please see notice board for details or pick up a flyer.

The committee have decided that there will not be a summer fair this year and will instead concentrate their efforts on the Christmas Fair. Meanwhile, they are planning other events to take us through the year and you will be kept up to speed on these.

Alpha Course with Churches Together, to be held from 8/04/13 to 24/06/13, with each session being held at a different venue, the first being Jireh Chapel. Each host Church will provide refreshments and the evening’s Speaker. There was an Introductory Meeting on Monday 11/03, and this will be followed by a Meeting for those with a definite interest next Monday18/03.

The Carmelites in Birkenhead are planning to produce Mass cards and we hope to stock some on our bookstall when the production line starts to flow. This will provide us with a small opportunity to support the nuns who so generously support us all with their prayers.

Michael (Mick) Gallagher died on 8th March at Elderhome. His funeral will be at CTK on Monday 18th at 9.15am. Displayed on the exterior notice boards is a short notice from the family regarding funeral arrangements etc. We offer them our sincere condolences on the death of a much loved family member.

Journey of Easter, a churches together event will take place on Good Friday at 12md. It will commence at Lady Lever. The parade will be accompanied by music and during the parade the children will display a giant cross. This is a family event. Biblical dress is available. Please see notice board for further details.

Fred has recovered sufficiently to return to his home but he is by no means returned to good health. Please keep him in your prayers.