Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 15th September 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)

Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: http://www.stjohnevang.co.uk http://www.lpa24.org

Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 15th September 2019, Cycle C

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Lord Jesus, you take our sins upon yourself so that we might be blameless in God’s sight:Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you invite us to recognise our faults and to turn from our sin:Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you call us back home to our Father to join in the feast of forgiveness:Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, strengthen us in all goodness and lead us home to everlasting life. Amen.

St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Rd, Rock Ferry….If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com The North Ness Boys- three brothers from Shetland each with God given musical talents will give a concert in aid of Laughter Africa in the Parish Centre next Sunday 22nd September 7.30pm-11.00pm. Tickets £5 and further info from Bob Rimmer on 07910449284 or Marie Doyle on 0151 645-3996
Wirral Foodbank: Thank you to all those who contribute to the Foodbank, helping to support people in crisis in our Local Community. The total raised this week is on the Notice Board at the back of Church along with details of the Foodbank and the services it offers. Please keep your donations coming- Items urgently needed- tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk. Once again if you have any spare plastic bags or even an idea on how they are able to distribute food/goods without the need for plastic bags, it will be gratefully received.

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to buy a Catholic paper and to take a look at the Card Rack

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful
reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email
address or put it through the presbytery letter box by
12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

FAITH IN FOCUS: FIVE STEPS BACK HOME
What was it about the prodigal son that took him back home when everything had gone wrong? He took five steps to get back to the family atmosphere of his father’s house.
First, he recognised the senselessness of his sinful condition. This can be hard. We fool ourselves that our sin is really quite harmless or maybe even just a bit of fun. Yet eventually the realisation comes upon us that what we are doing is not making us fuller people but simply stunting our development. We are brought short and forced to face the truth that the grass is in fact greener where we used to be.
Repentance is the second step. The awakening brought about by the hopelessness of our situation leads us to accept that we’ve been going in the wrong direction long enough and it’s time to turn around and go back. It forces us to admit that we alone are responsible for the mess we are in; sin is our choice and nobody forces us. And what the prodigal son really wanted was not just some food but the restoration of his relationship with his father.
Repentance must always be accompanied by honesty. There’s no point in making excuses for what we have done. The son could have blamed the home situation, his father or his brother, the farmer who gave him a job with the pigs, etc. But the less we are found making excuses the more likely we are to be serious about changing our way of life.
When he repented the son displayed humility. He simply acknowledged that he had sinned, was sorry and did not deserve to be called a son any more. He knew he had disgraced his family and friends, accepted it and was determined to do something about it. He set no conditions to his confession.
Then he made his resolution to go back home. He didn’t ask for time to consider things, procrastinate and put things off. He did something about it, left his sorry situation and determined to start things afresh.
Five steps. But the only ones that would take him back to the feast. And us?

24th Sunday in Ord Time 15th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Fr Frank Rice RIP
Ints Celia & Mike Daly (40th)
Prayer Meeting
Monday 16th 9.15am Ints Joan Anton
Tuesday 17th 9.15am Thanksgiving to St Anthony
Wednesday 18th 9.15 am For Sick & Retired Priests
Thursday 19th 9.15 am Service of Word & Communion
Friday 20th 9.15am Ted Corrigan RIP
Saturday 21st
25th Sunday in Ord Time 22nd 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm In Thanksgiving P McAlister
Jack McGree Anniv RIP
Prayer Meeting
Confessions Each Saturday 10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 15 min before daily Masses
Saturdays 4.00-4.50pm

In Memorium-. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Kath Morley- Funeral Mass at 10am on Monday 23rd September. Also for Bernard Cavanagh Funeral Service this Wednesday 18th September in church at 1.30pm. May they and all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass in the Day Chapel. This provides your children with the opportunity to experience the Word of God a level suitable to their age.
Tea & Coffee in the Parish Centre after 9.30am Mass. Pop in and have a chat.
Schools News- All our schools have had a good start to the new school year. Teachers and other staff members from our Wirral Catholic Schools gathered for a beginning of year Mass at St Anne’s, Rock Ferry last Thursday evening. This week the Governors of our Junior School will be meeting on Monday evening and likewise the Governors of our Infant School will meet on Wednesday evening. Father Bernard will celebrate a Mass of Welcome for the Year 3 children and their families in the Junior School on Thursday.

Wirral Hospitals-This Thursday at 12.30pm we begin a series of monthly Masses in the Chapel at Arrowe Park Hospital. All are most welcome… patients, visitors, staff and people from the local parishes. This September the Diocese and the Hospital Trust are re-establishing and strengthening the Catholic Chaplaincy Team. If anyone would like to join the team please have a word with Deacon Les Arch ( St Joseph’s – 0151 652-5767) or Father Bernard.

Last Call for Confirmation 2019: This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough on Thursday 21st November at 7pm. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk as soon as possible.

Catholic Certificate for Religious Studies…. Recommended for any teacher who wants to teach in a Catholic School, as well as those seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith and Theology. Two CCRS sessions are being offered within the Diocese in the new School Year. The venue closest to here is Our Lady’s Ellesmere Port and these sessions will be held on Saturdays. For more information and dates visit; http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/education/ccrs

Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £636.77p. Many thanks. Next weekend there will be a retiring collection for the work of St John’s SVP Conference.
Dates for your Diary LPA Half Day of Reflection for Parish Ministers… ie Eucharistic Ministers, Readers, Musicians etc led by Fr Tom Cunnah at Christ the King, Bromborough on Saturday 5th October 9.30am start, finishing with Mass at 12.30pm . Benediction in Honour of St. Therese of Lisieux: with Veneration of her First Class Relic. Carmelite Monastery, Grosvenor Place, Birkenhead on Sunday 6th October at 3.00pm. St John’s Men’s Group ( similar to the Grace Group for the ladies) will begin meeting monthly, on Monday 7th October at 7.30pm in the presbytery. Further info please email James Lindley jlindley198@gmail.com SVP Coffee Morning Friday 11th October from after 9.15 am Mass until 12 Noon in the Parish Centre. Taize Service for World Mission Sunday at St Anne’s, Rock Ferry on Sunday 20th October at 4.00pm. St John’s Annual Mass of Remembrance will be celebrated in Church on Thursday 7th November at 7.00pm.
New Ferry Residents Association Public Meeting and AGM You are invited to a public meeting at 7pm on Monday 23rd September at Windsor Close Community Centre. Topics that will be debated are . Latest update on the Council’s regeneration plans . Latest news on New Ferry Community Land Trust . Ask the Councillors . Ask the Police , Election of Officers to the Residents Association

Welcome Café’s – which distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to you are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. And also every Friday at St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm. All are welcome to use this facility.

Advertisements

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 8th September 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist

128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ

Diocese of Shrewsbury   (reg. charity 234025)

 

Parish Priest:  Fr Bernard Forshaw           Deacon: Revd Michael Daly    Phone:   0151 645 3314

Email:     stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites:    www.stjohnevang.co.uk           www.lpa24.org

 

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 8^th  September 2019, Cycle C

WORDS FOR WORSHIP

May God the Father enlighten your minds that you may know his ways and strive to do his will.Amen.                                                                                                                                     May God the Son set you free from the slavery of sin that you may live in the freedom of the children of God.Amen.                                                                                                                    May God the Holy Spirit grant you true wisdom of heart that you may enjoy peace and tranquillity in serving God and neighbour.Amen.

 

St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Rd, Rock Ferry….If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com The North Ness Boys- three brothers from Shetland each with God given musical talents will give a concert in aid of Laughter Africa in the Parish Centre on Sunday 22^nd September 7.30pm-11.00pm. Tickets £5. Tickets and further information from Bob Rimmer on 07910449284.

 

Wirral Foodbank: Thank you to all those who contribute to the Foodbank, helping to support people in crisis in our Local Community. The total raised this week is on the Notice Board at the back of Church along with details of the Foodbank and the services it offers. Please  keep your donations coming-  Items urgently needed- tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk.  Once again if you have any spare plastic bags or even an idea on how they are able to distribute food/goods without the need for plastic bags, it will be gratefully received.

 

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to buy a Catholic paper and to take a look at the Card Rack

 

 

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word.  It is a helpful

reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

 

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email

address or put it through the presbytery  letter box by

12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: IS THERE A CHRISTIAN IN THE HOUSE?

You may be in the church building, but are you in Christ? Your name is on the parish records, but is it in the book of life? You may be in the Church, but is Christ in you? Being in a classroom does not make you a teacher. Being in a surgery doesn’t make you a doctor. And being in a church building doesn’t make you a disciple!

Jesus preaches in such a way that we either get on board or abandon ship. Either we will follow Christ or forsake him. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He is making his way to the cross. He is on his way to betrayal, flogging, mocking, scourging, and beating. His own people have rejected him. He is on his way to Jerusalem to die for the very people who will murder him. They have called him Beelzebub. They have accused him of breaking the law. They have numbered him with the publicans and sinners. Jesus knows his disciples will suffer the same fate and only a true disciple can endure such persecution.

Before you decide to buy that new home cinema system you have to sit down and work out whether you have enough money to pay for it, whether in cash or instalments. And it’s the same thing when it comes to being a disciple of Christ. There is a cost involved.

Jesus never tried to get big crowds. In fact, he said things that would put the faint-hearted off. To follow him, he said, you must love your family but never let them get in the way of your responding fully to God’s call. Those who appreciate the wisdom of God’s plan are prepared to give up wealth, reputation, security and even their own lives if it is demanded. This does not come cheap. It’s easy to say that we would do all this for God, but how well are we faring in the ordinary things of life, the little demands that are put upon us? This is a good guide to how much we are being true to our calling as disciples.

Being a Christian means accepting all our family and

social responsibilities but giving Christ top priority. There can be no part-time Christians.

 

23rd Sunday in Ord Time	8th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Peter Donnelly Sid & Mary Havard Annv RIP Prayer Meeting
Monday	9th	9.15am	Barbara Hemmings RIP
Tuesday	10th	9.15am	Lewis Doyle RIP
Wednesday	11th	9.15 am	Ints Margaret McLoughlin
Thursday	12th	7.30am	Jimmy Patterson RIP
Friday	13th	9.15am	Michael Brannock Anniv
Saturday	14th
24th Sunday in Ord Time	15th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Fr Frank Rice RIP Ints Celia & Mike Daly (40th) Prayer Meeting
Confessions  Each  Saturday			10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament			15 min before daily  Masses Saturdays 4.00-4.50pm

Fr Frank Rice:  Thank you to everyone who came to the Funeral Masses here at St John’s and at Our Lady’s last week. Thank you especially to all those parishioners who played their part in ensuring that the Funeral Liturgies and refreshments afterwards passed off in a fitting manner. The Rice Family, Joan Hannam, Marie Stead, Philip & Sara White and Fr Frank’s other close friends are very grateful to you all and for the Mass cards, Sympathy cards and messages of support they have received in recent days.                                    May Fr Frank rest in peace.

In Memorium- Please also pray for the repose of the soul of Bernard Cavanagh. Funeral Service Wednesday 18^th September at 1.30pm in church. Also for Kath Morley- Funeral Mass at 10am on Monday 23^rd September.                                                                                          May they and all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will be in the Day Chapel. This provides your children with the opportunity to experience the Word of God at their level and with their peers.

Tea & Coffee  in the Parish Centre after 9.30am Mass.  Pop in and have a chat.

 

All our schools have now begun the new school year. We hope all the children and staff will rise to the many challenges that a new school year brings. A whole school Mass for St John’s Junior School will be held in church on Tuesday at 9.15 am. Parents, grandparents and parishioners, all most welcome.

St John Plessington Catholic College, Open Evening, this Thursday from 5pm-8.30pm.

St John’s SVP Group will

Meet this Thursday at 6.30pm in the presbytery.

 

 

Parish Pastoral Team- will be  meeting this Thursday at 7.30pm in the presbytery. If you have any suggestions/ideas/ thoughts for the team to consider, please put a note in the Suggestion Box at the back of Church or through the Presbytery letter box or send an email to the Parish email address by Wednesday evening.

 

 

Confirmation 2019:  This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough on Thursday     21^st November at 7pm. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk  as soon as possible.

 

Money Matters:  Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £658.70p. Many thanks.

Foundation Governors: The Diocese has a number of vacancies for Foundation Governors within our Deanery. If you would be interested in joining a Governing Body then please contact  Sue Blackwell at the Curial Offices sue.blackwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is looking to recruit a Youth Mission Team Member to engage with young people in schools and parishes across the Diocese.  The Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) comprises of full-time employees and lay & clergy volunteers.  The full-time employee will be a key member of the team led by the Director.  The successful candidate will be faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and to serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury.  Full details and application forms can be found at http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/aboutus/curia/vacancies  Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org    Closing date this Friday 13 September 2019

Catholic Certificate for Religious Studies…. Recommended for any teacher who wants to teach in a Catholic School, as well as those seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of  the  Catholic Faith and Theology. Two CCRS sessions are being offered within the Diocese in the new School Year. The venue closest to here is Our Lady’s Ellesmere Port and these sessions will be held on Saturdays. For more information and dates visit; www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/education/ccrs

Welcome Café’s  – which distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to you are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. And also every Friday at   St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm. All are welcome to use this facility.

Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st September 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist

128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ

Diocese of Shrewsbury   (reg. charity 234025)

 

Parish Priest:  Fr Bernard Forshaw           Deacon: Revd Michael Daly    Phone:   0151 645 3314

Email:     stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites:    www.stjohnevang.co.uk           www.lpa24.org

 

Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 1^st September 2019, Cycle C

 

WORD OF GOD                                                                                                                       The greater you are,the more you should behave humbly,and then you will find favour with the Lord. (Ecclesiasticus 3:18)

Words for Worship                                                                                                               Lord of the poor and the crippled, God of the blind and the lame, listen to the prayers we have brought before you for our own needs, for those of our Church and our world. Teach us true humility that we may be at the service of all who call upon us. Encourage us to use our talents to spread your kingdom, and when we meet with success help us to recognise you as the source of our strengths. We make this and all our prayers through him who humbled himself to share our human weakness, your Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

St Anne’s Parish Centre, Rock Ferry is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com

Wirral Foodbank: Thank you to all those who contribute to the Foodbank, helping to support people in crisis in our Local Community. The total raised this week is on the Notice Board at the back of Church along with details of the Foodbank and the services it offers. Please  keep your donations coming-  Items urgently needed- tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk.  Once again if you have any spare plastic bags or even an idea on how they are able to distribute food/goods without the need for plastic bags, it will be gratefully received.

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, Birthday Cards etc.

 

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

 

 

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word.  It is a helpful

reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

 

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email

address or put it through the presbytery  letter box by

12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: TOP TABLE

A London-based pastor was boasting about how his church had grown from a handful to thousands of members in such a short time. The interviewer asked him what he thought had brought this about. “A top rate dedicated and qualified management team” he replied. “And what about the Holy Spirit?” asked the interviewer. By then it was too late for the pastor to dig himself out of the hole.  Don’t take the seats on the top table, says Jesus today, because someone more distinguished might have been invited. Of course, there’s always someone more distinguished than us. The problem is that we often fail to recognise it. A top-table mentality can be very corrosive. As we grow up we naturally takes things for granted. We get on in life, we get promotion, we acquire status and position and we find ourselves making decisions that affect other people’s lives. We know we’ve got the top-table mentality when we think that we are owed respect by right. We expect to be given preferential treatment, to be obeyed, to have our opinion carry more weight than other people’s. Humility does not mean pretending we’re not who we are, denying skills and talents or feigning a type of false modesty. Humility rejoices in what it can do, but knows that it can do nothing without God and others. So humility boasts, but it boasts about God who is the source of all gift and talent.

Humble people don’t stop aiming high. It’s just that when they achieve their goal they know who deserves the credit. And since humble people don’t push themselves forward for the top places, they are not disappointed not to have them. Nor do they suffer the embarrassment of being taken down a peg when they overstep the mark.

Set your sights as high as you like but keep your soul on the ground. The man who fulfilled the cosmic act of salvation did so by humbling himself to become a mere human and although he was God he claimed no glory for himself. It’s those who humble themselves, he said, who will be exalted.

 

 

22nd Sunday in Ord Time	1st	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Fr John Rafferty Ints St John’s Parish Prayer Meeting
Monday	2nd	9.15am	Ints Betty Houston
Tuesday	3rd	9.15am	Patricia Dobbie RIP
Wednesday	4th	9.15 am	Irene Harding
Thursday	5th	12Noon 7.00pm	Funeral Mass Linda Unwin Vigil Mass Fr Frank Rice
Friday	6th		No Mass or Service
Saturday	7th
23rd Sunday in Ord Time	8th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Peter Donnelly Sid & Mary Havard Annv RIP Prayer Meeting
Confessions  Each  Saturday			10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament			15 min before daily  Masses Saturdays 4.00-4.50pm

Fr Frank Rice:  The Funeral Arrangements are as follows:   Vigil Mass this Thursday 5^th September  at  St John’s Church at 7.00pm celebrated by   Fr Bernard and the Deanery Clergy.  Fr Frank’s body will rest in the Church from the end of Mass until 9.00pm for parishioners and others to say a prayer and pay their respects.                                                                        Tea & Coffee, Cakes & Biscuits will be available for everyone in the Parish Centre after the Vigil Mass

Funeral Mass on Friday 6^th September at Our Lady’s Church, Cavendish Street, Birkenhead CH41 8AQ at 12noon celebrated by Bishop Mark and Clergy from the Diocese of Shrewsbury and beyond. Fr Frank  will be buried at Landican around 2.00pm where Deacon Philip White will lead the committal.         The Funeral Reception will be held back here at              St John’s Parish Centre with outside caterers providing the refreshments. Everyone of course is most welcome.

Linda Unwin RIP:   Your prayers are also asked for the repose of the soul of Linda Unwin, a faithful parishioner, who also died recently.  Linda’s Funeral Mass will be held at St John’s on Thursday                  5^th September at 12noon. May she Rest in peace.

 

Tea & Coffee resumes in the Parish Centre after 9.30am this Sunday

Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will resume  next Sunday 8^th of September in the Day Chapel.

St John’s Schools re-open on Tuesday after the Summer break. We hope all the children and staff have had a good restful holiday and we offer a warm welcome to all the new children and staff.

The Monthly Novena to Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour will be held in  church on Tuesday at 7pm. All most welcome- If you have not participated in this before it offers a time of quiet prayer and reflection before the well known icon of Our Blessed Lady.

St John’s SVP Group will not be meeting this Thursday. There next meeting will be on Thursday 12^th September at 6.30pm.

 

 

Confirmation 2019:  This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough on Thursday                       21^st November at 7pm. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk  by next Sunday 8^th September at the latest.

 

Money Matters:  Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £659.83p. Thank you for your generosity.

 

 

Parish Pastoral Team- will be  meeting shortly. If you have any suggestions/ideas/ thoughts for the team to consider, please put a note in the Suggestion Box at the back of Church or through the Presbytery letter box or send an email to the Parish email address this week.

Foundation Governors: The Diocese has a number of vacancies for Foundation Governors within our Deanery. If you would be interested in joining a Governing Body then please contact  Sue Blackwell at the Curial Offices sue.blackwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is looking to recruit a Youth Mission Team Member to engage with young people in schools and parishes across the Diocese.  The Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) comprises of full-time employees and lay & clergy volunteers.  The full-time employee will be a key member of the team led by the Director.  The successful candidate will be faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and to serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury.  Full details and application forms can be found at http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/aboutus/curia/vacancies  Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org    Closing date Friday 13 September 2019

Catholic Certificate for Religious Studies…. Recommended for any teacher who wants to teach in a Catholic School, as well as those seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of  the  Catholic Faith and Theology. Two CCRS sessions are being offered within the Diocese in the new School Year. The venue closest to here is Our Lady’s Ellesmere Port and these sessions will be held on Saturdays. For more information and dates visit; www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/education/ccrs

Welcome Café’s  – which distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to you are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. And also every Friday at   St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm. All are welcome to use this facility.

Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time 25th August 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist

128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ

Diocese of Shrewsbury   (reg. charity 234025)

 

Parish Priest:  Fr Bernard Forshaw           Deacon: Revd Michael Daly    Phone:   0151 645 3314

Email:     stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites:    www.stjohnevang.co.uk           www.lpa24.org

 

Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time 25th August 2019, Cycle C

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: HEAVEN AND HELL

Some modern people don’t believe in hell. They say that it’s an old-fashioned way of frightening people into behaving in a moral manner. If God is so loving, they argue, then no one will be allowed to miss out on heaven.

Of course, this is not what Jesus says in today’s gospel. He says “there will be weeping and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside”.

Hell is not a place. It doesn’t have a floor and walls, or even a fire. Hell is the never-ending state of pain and frustration after death at realising that we were given the chance of eternal happiness that comes from choosing God, but that we chose not to accept it and now it is beyond our grasp.

If God were to ignore our life choices and simply “smooth things over” when we die, then we would have been made fools of during our life. Life, rather than being a drama, would have been reduced to a divine farce in which we thought we had freewill but in reality were just playing a part in some predetermined global heavenly extravaganza. God has too much respect for us to toy with us like that.

And so Jesus warns his audience today about becoming complacent, about thinking that they are guaranteed a place in the kingdom of God because of their nationality, their ancestors, or their religious practice. And just as Isaiah had done centuries earlier, he angers them by saying that heaven will be full of “riffraff” while some of them will be excluded. For God has no favourites. People of high standing in society and the Church will find themselves at the foot of the pile, and vice versa.

And what about you and me? Have we joined the throng of people who never give heaven and hell a second thought? Do we automatically think that we have some sort of season ticket for religion that will see us through at the eleventh hour? Or are we acting on Jesus’ words and trying to enter by the narrow door?

 

 

WORD OF GOD:                                                                                                                                 There are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.  (Luke 13:30)

 

 

St Anne’s Parish Centre, Rock Ferry has now been fully refurbished and is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com

Wirral Foodbank: Thank you to all those who contribute to the Foodbank, helping to support people in crisis in our Local Community. The total raised this week is on the Notice Board at the back of Church along with details of the Foodbank and the services it offers. Please  keep your donations coming- the school holidays can be the hardest time of year;  Items urgently needed- tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk.  Once again if you have any spare plastic bags or even an idea on how they are able to distribute food/goods without the need for plastic bags, it will be gratefully received.

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

 

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

 

 

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word.  It is a helpful

reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

 

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery  letter box by

12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

21stSunday in Ord Time	25th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ted Corrigan RIP Ints St John’s Parish Prayer Meeting
Monday	26th	12 Noon	Wedding-Jay Finlay & Emma Evanson
Tuesday	27th	9.15am	Ints St John’s Church Cleaners
Wednesday	28th	9.15 am	Fr Frank Rice RIP
Thursday	29th	7.30am	Grace Howe RIP
Friday	30th	9.15am	Norah McCormack RIP
Saturday	31st
22nd Sunday in Ord Time	1st	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Fr John Rafferty Ints St John’s Parish Prayer Meeting
Confessions  Each  Saturday			10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer   There will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament next Saturday from 4.00pm until 5.00pm Mass to remember Fr Frank Rice RIP and to pray God’s blessing upon his Funeral Rites.			15 min before daily  Masses

Fr Frank: It is with sadness that we announce the death of Fr Frank Rice who passed away in The Old Garden Care Home in Hoylake at 6.35am last Sunday morning having received the Sacrament of Anointing from Fr Bernard that night and with Joan Hannam and Pauline Roberts at his bedside. May he Rest in Peace. 

The Funeral Arrangements are as follows:             Vigil Mass on Thursday 5^th September  here at          St John’s Church at 7.00pm celebrated by                    Fr Bernard and the Deanery Clergy.  Fr Frank’s body will rest in the Church from the end of Mass until 9.00pm for parishioners and others to say a prayer and pay their respects.                                                                        Tea & Coffee, Cakes & Biscuits will be available for everyone in the Parish Centre after the Vigil Mass ……thanks to Noelene and her team. 

Funeral Mass on Friday 6^th September at Our Lady’s Church, Cavendish Street, Birkenhead CH41 8AQ at 12noon celebrated by Bishop Mark and Clergy from the Diocese of Shrewsbury and beyond. Fr Frank

will be buried at Landican around 2.00pm where Deacon Philip White will lead the committal.         The Funeral Reception will be held back here at              St John’s Parish Centre with outside caterers providing the refreshments. Everyone of course is most welcome.

Linda Unwin RIP:   Your prayers are also asked for the repose of the soul of Linda Unwin, a faithful parishioner, who also died recently.  Linda’s Funeral Mass will be held at St John’s on Thursday                  5^th September at 12noon. May she Rest in peace.

Wedding: Congratulations, best wishes and prayers to Jay Finlay and Emma Evanson being married here at St John’s on Bank Holiday Monday at 12 noon.

Mass Intentions- If you would like a Mass to be celebrated for someone, living or dead, please use the Mass Offering envelopes which can be found on the table at the back of Church or in the Sacristy. If you wish for a certain date/ time, then please also write that on the envelope. We will try our very best to accommodate this, depending on availability. Mass cards are available from the card rack at the back of Church.

Tea & Coffee resumes in the Parish Centre after 9.30am next Sunday 1^st September

Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will resume again on the second Sunday of September…..after the school holidays

 Baptisms: The diary for Baptisms is filling up so please give us plenty of notice by phoning 645 3314 or emailing us especially if you have a particular date in mind. 

Confirmation 2019:  This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough on Thursday                       21^st November at 7pm. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk  as soon as possible and certainly before the 7^th September.

Money Matters:  Last week’s collection amounted to £569.17p. Thank you.

St John’s SVP Group meets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

 

Parish Pastoral Team- Next meeting is in early  September. If you have any suggestions/ideas/ thoughts for the team to consider, please put a note in the Suggestion Box at the back of Church or through the Presbytery letter box or send an email to the Parish email address.

Foundation Governors: The Diocese has a number of vacancies for Foundation Governors within our Deanery. If you would be interested in joining a Governing Body then please contact  Sue Blackwell at the Curial Offices sue.blackwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org

Catholic Certificate for Religious Studies…. Recommended for any teacher who wants to teach in a Catholic School, as well as those seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of  the  Catholic Faith and Theology. Two CCRS sessions are being offered within the Diocese in the new School Year. The venue closest to here is Our Lady’s Ellesmere Port and these sessions will be held on Saturdays. For more information and dates visit; www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/education/ccrs

Welcome Café’s  – which distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to you are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. And also every Friday at   St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm. All are welcome to use this facility- there is no reason for anyone to go hungry this Summer.

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 18th August 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist

128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ

Diocese of Shrewsbury   (reg. charity 234025)

 

Parish Priest:  Fr Bernard Forshaw           Deacon: Revd Michael Daly    Phone:   0151 645 3314

Email:     stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites:    www.stjohnevang.co.uk           www.lpa24.org

 

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 18th August 2019, Cycle C

WORD OF GOD

Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. (Luke 12: 51)

 

WORD FOR TODAY

Christianity is not about being popular. Jesus preached the gospel in and out of season and was unconcerned about making enemies. Is our brand of Christianity faith to his or are we prone to soften off when we think others might consider us strange? Do we have the courage of our convictions? Are we prepared to stand up and be counted?

Wirral Foodbank: Thank you to all those who contribute to the Foodbank, helping to support people in crisis in our Local Community. The total raised this week is on the Notice Board at the back of Church along with details of the Foodbank and the services it offers. Please  keep your donations coming- the school holidays can be the hardest time of year;  Items urgently needed- tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk.  Once again if you have any spare plastic bags or  even an idea on how they are able to distribute food/goods without the  need for plastic bags, it will be gratefully received.

 

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

 

 

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

 

 

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word.  It is a helpful

reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

 

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery  letter box by

12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: RAISING EYEBROWS?

From time to time we have to remind ourselves just what it means to be a Christian. That’s why today we hear a passage from a chapter of Luke’s gospel that examines different aspects of being a disciple. People who have been Christians from infancy tend not to experience the challenge of following Christ as much as those who are converted in later life. Cradle Christians are prone to play down the significance of their baptism. After all we were baptised as children just as we were given certain injections to inoculate us against diseases. As a result we grow up with the attitude that our Christianity is just one string to our bow. We may be members of the local amateur dramatic society, we may support the local football team and we are also Christians. But today Jesus warns us that if we are true Christians then we will be the cause of division. That’s because the message of Christ is radically disturbing; it overturns accepted wisdom and agitates people. When we speak out about our vision of God’s world it upsets others. When we say what we think about moral decisions and the way life should be enjoyed we run the risk of antagonising. This is because to be a Christian means making a fundamental decision to proclaim a vision of God that is usually at odds with what society values. It’s not that we set out deliberately to make life uncomfortable for others. It’s simply that the message of the gospel is subversive: it turns everything on its head. Telling a world that prizes success that the only way to prosper is to die to self is not geared to making you very popular. It angers those who do not accept Christ and it causes division.  If we are ever tempted to think of our religion as normal, as being an obvious way of living in the twenty-first century, then we have to read the gospel again. It is a challenge to our world and its values, and so we should not be surprised if people find it hard to take. Maybe if we are finding opposition to our faith it is a sign that we are close to Christ; for he said he had come not to bring peace but division. If, on the other hand, our faith raises no more eyebrows than our membership of the local flower arranging club then perhaps we’ve either lost sight of what our faith really is or we’re afraid to let it show.

 

 

20th Sunday in Ord Time	18th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Peggy McAllister Milly Hawes Annv RIP Prayer Meeting
Monday	19th	9.15am	Barbara Hemmings RIP
Tuesday	20th	9.15am	Service of the Word & Communion
Wednesday	21st	11.30 am	Funeral Mass James Patterson
Thursday	22nddd	7.30am	Ints Father Frank Rice
Friday	23rd	9.15am	Ints Ruth Foran
Saturday	24th
21st Sunday in Ord Time	25th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ted Corrigan RIP Ints St John’s Parish Prayer Meeting
Confessions  Each  Saturday			10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer   From September 7th there will be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament each Saturday			15 min before daily  Masses   From 4.15pm – 5pm

 

Mass Intentions- If you would like a Mass to be celebrated for someone, living or dead, please use the Mass Offering envelopes which can be found on the table at the back of Church or in the Sacristy. If you wish for a certain date/ time, then please also write that on the envelope. We will try our very best to accommodate this, depending on availability. Mass cards are available from the card rack at the back of Church.

 

Please keep in your prayers those young people from our Parish & your families who are receiving important examination results at this time.

 

 

Tea & Coffee. There will be no tea/coffee after the 9.30am on Sunday during the month of August.  We will resume the first Sunday in September.

 

Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will resume again on the second Sunday of September…..after the school holidays

Lately Dead: Your prayers are requested for James Patterson who died recently and whose Funeral Mass will take place here at St John’s on Wednesday  at 11.30am.  May he and all the faithful departed rest in peace.

 Baptisms: The diary for Baptisms is filling up so please give us plenty of notice by phoning 645 3314 or emailing us especially if you have a particular date in mind. 

Confirmation 2019:  This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough on Thursday 21^st  November at 7pm. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk  as soon as possible and certainly before the 7^th September.

Money Matters:  Last week’s collection amounted to £529.75p. Thank you.

St John’s SVP Group meets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

 

Parish Pastoral Team- Next meeting is on Thursday 5^th September. If you have any suggestions/ideas/ thoughts for the team to consider, please put a note in the Suggestion Box at the back of Church or through the Presbytery letter box or send an email to the Parish email address.

Foundation Governors: The Diocese has a number of vacancies for Foundation Governors within our Deanery. If you would be interested in joining a Governing Body then please contact                 Sue Blackwell at the Curial Offices sue.blackwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org

 

Catholic Certificate for Religious Studies…. Recommended for any teacher who wants to teach in a Catholic School, as well as those seeking to deepen their knowledge and understanding of  the  Catholic Faith and Theology. Two CCRS sessions are being offered within the Diocese in the new School Year. The venue closest to here is Our Lady’s Ellsemere Port and these sessions will be held on Saturdays. For more information and dates visit; www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/education/ccrs

 

Welcome Café’s  – which distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to you are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. And also every Friday at   St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm. All are welcome to use this facility- there is no reason for anyone to go hungry this Summer.

 

St Anne’s Parish Centre, Rock Ferry has now been fully refurbished and is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 11th August 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist

128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ

Diocese of Shrewsbury   (reg. charity 234025)

 

Parish Priest:  Fr Bernard Forshaw           Deacon: Revd Michael Daly    Phone:   0151 645 3314

Email:     stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites:    www.stjohnevang.co.uk           www.lpa24.org

 

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 11th August 2019, Cycle C

 

WORD OF GOD

Happy those servants whom, the master finds awake when he returns.

(Luke 12: 37)

 

 

 

 

WORD FOR TODAY

Would you be ready to meet God if the call came today? Are there areas of your life that need sorting out, areas that would greatly improve the quality of your daily life? Few of us can answer yes to both questions. Today’s liturgy invites us once more to renewal.

 

 

 Fully Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 23^rd September 2019.  £599.00 per person sharing.  Price includes flight with 10kg hand luggage, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full Irish Breakfast each morning and 4 Course Dinner each evening.  Lunch on days out.  All entertainment and excursions included.  Wheelchair accessible rooms in the hotel.  Limited single rooms at supplement of £100.  Groups and Individual bookings welcome.   Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.  Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613

 

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

 

 

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

 

 

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word.  It is a helpful

reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

 

 

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery  letter box by

12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: TIME-TALENT-TREASURE

 

What exactly are we stewards of? Jesus tells us that we are to remain awake and ready for his return like managers whose boss has gone away for an unknown period.

We are stewards or managers of our time. Imagine that every day someone deposited £1,440 in your bank account and it had to be spent before midnight otherwise it would be transferred to someone else. You would soon learn to make good use of the money and spend it wisely, helping all those people that you knew would benefit from it. In fact, God gives us 1,440 minutes in each day. How do we use them? When midnight strikes have we wasted some of them or left them unused, never to be recaptured? Have we spent some on things that don’t matter in the light of eternity? Using our time well is a sign that we are taking Jesus’ lesson on stewardship seriously.

We are called to be stewards of our talent. God never created anyone with no talent. Some of us have very high profile talents. We may be good at music or sport; we may have a gift for public speaking or painting, for car maintenance or accounting. We also have spiritual gifts and talents that are not so immediately visible. Perhaps we have a natural ability for reaching out to people, for listening, for offering sound advice, for cheering people up, for praying, for building up community. What is your talent and how do you manage it?

 

Finally, we are stewards of our treasure. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. We don’t actually own anything. All our possessions are on trust for the next generation since we can’t take anything with us when we go. We are simply allowed to have use of them. And rich or poor, we have to give an account to God of the way we make use of our material possessions. Do we hoard or are we generous? If we give money to a charity do we think of it as kindness or as justice? Do we put our “treasure” to its best use or do we save it for a rainy day?

 

How we managed our time, our talent and our treasure is what Jesus will ask us when he meets us. And none of us knows when that will be.

 

 

 

19th Sunday in Ord Time	11th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Sr Veronica Hangley RSC Joan Longland RIP Prayer Meeting
Monday	12th	9.15am	Service of the Word & Communion
Tuesday	13th	9.15am	Ints Louise & Paul Murray (25th Wedding Annv.)
Wednesday	14th	9.15 am	Service of the Word & Communion
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	15th	7.30am 7.30pm	John McIntosh RIP Ints Brenda & John Bell
Friday	16th	9.15am	Ints Collette Sarson
Saturday	17th
20th Sunday in Ord Time	18th	5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm	Ints Peggy McAllister Milly Hawes Annv RIP Prayer Meeting
Confessions  Each  Saturday from			10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer			15 min before daily  Masses

 

Thursday 15^th August The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady ……a Holyday………… will be celebrated at St John’s with Masses in Church at 7.30am and 7.30pm, Before the evening Mass there will be a time of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament from 6.45pm onwards .

 

 

Please keep in your prayers those young people from our Parish & your families who are receiving important examination results over the next 2 weeks Thursday 15^th Aug = A Level Results. Thursday 22^nd Aug = GCSE Results

 

 

Tea & Coffee. There will be no tea/coffee after the 9.30am on Sunday during the month of August.  We will resume the first Sunday in September.

 

Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will resume again on the second Sunday of September…..after the school holidays

Lately Dead: Your prayers are requested for James Patterson who died recently and whose Funeral Mass will take place here at St John’s on Wednesday, 21st August at 11.30am.  May he and all the faithful departed rest in peace.

 Baptisms: The diary for Baptisms is filling up so please give us plenty of notice by phoning 645 3314 or emailing us especially if you have a particular date in mind. 

Confirmation 2019:  This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough towards the end of November. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk

Weddings: If you are intending to get married at St John’s in 2020 please let us know as soon as possible.

Money Matters:  Last week’s collection amounted to £613.34p. Thank you.

St John’s SVP Group meets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

LPA Annual Trip to Shrewsbury: Tuesday               24^th September: The trip will include Mass and a tour of the Cathedral followed by free time to explore Shrewsbury. Further details in next week’s newsletter.

Foundation Governors: The Diocese has a number of vacancies for Foundation Governors within our Deanery. If you would be interested in joining a Governing Body then please contact                 Sue Blackwell at the Curial Offices sue.blackwell@dioceseofshrewsbury.org

Wirral Foodbank: Please continue to support the Foodbank; The need is as great as ever.  ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned potatoes, tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk.  FOODBANK IS DESPARATELY IN NEED OF CARRIER BAGS TO HELP WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM IF, WHEN DONATING FOOD, YOU COULD INCLUDE ANY CARRIER BAGS YOU CAN SPARE.  THANK YOU.

 

Welcome Café’s   Just a reminder and a word of encouragement to use the Diocesan Welcome Café’s. These distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to the individual and are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. Also every Friday at    St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm.

St Anne’s Parish Centre, Rock Ferry has now been fully refurbished and is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4th August 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)

Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: http://www.stjohnevang.co.uk http://www.lpa24.org

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 4th August 2019, Cycle C

WORD OF GOD
A man who has laboured wisely,skilfully and successfullymust leave what is his ownto someone who has not toiled for it at all. (Ecclesiastes 2:21)

WORD FOR TODAY
When we own everything we ever dreamed of, what will we do next? Fulfilment here and life in the hereafter is all that matters. And possessions cannot guarantee this for they are basically hollow. Today’s reading reminds us that seeking after earthly success is nothing more than vanity.

Fully Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 23rd September 2019. £599.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight with 10kg hand luggage, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full Irish Breakfast each morning and 4 Course Dinner each evening. Lunch on days out. All entertainment and excursions included. Wheelchair accessible rooms in the hotel. Limited single rooms at supplement of £100. Groups and Individual bookings welcome. Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com. Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful
reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

FAITH IN FOCUS: FOUND A PENNY LOST A POUND

The preacher in today’s reading summed it all up: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!” The Hebrew word for vanity means “emptiness” or a mere “breath of air”, something that is insubstantial, here today and gone tomorrow. What the preacher is trying to get across is that there is no point in getting involved with working, earning and enjoying possessions if at the same time we miss out on the real happiness of life.
A young man once found a £20 note on the pavement. From that time on he never lifted his eyes from the ground when walking. In the course of 40 years he accumulated 29,516 buttons, 54,172 pins, 7 pennies, a bent back and a miserly disposition. At the same time, he lost the glories of the sunlight, the smiles of friends, the songs of birds, the beauties of flowers, trees, blue skies and all that is worth living for in life: the opportunity to serve his fellow men and women, to spread happiness and to walk with God.
Most of us have to work in order to live. But we don’t have to join the rat race. We need money to buy food and clothes but if we don’t enjoy what we are doing then we live unfulfilled lives. Nothing that we possess actually belongs to us; it passes to the next generation.
Jesus tells us that our life is not made secure by what we own but by our relationship with God and others, particularly with our families. We can become distracted by what the world considers important – money, power, status – and if we are distracted, then our toil and work is like the breath of wind here one minute, gone the next.
It is only through God that my toil, my work, my enjoyment of life can have meaning and purpose. It is in that relationship with God that I can be free to work, free to use the fruits of my labour to serve God and the people around me. In that relationship with God I can be free to love and care, free from the bonds of greed to enjoy life, to discover the beauty of relationships with those who care for me as I am, and the thrill of knowing that when this life is ended, I will be given eternal wealth.

18th Sunday in Ord Time 4th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Ints Father Owen Gallagher
Ints St John’s Parish
Prayer Meeting
Monday 5th 9.15am Ints Les Duff
Tuesday 6th 11.00am

7.00pm Funeral Mass –
Margaret Bowden
Novena
Wednesday 7th 9.15 am Service of Word & Communion
Thursday 8th 7.30am Ints Elaine Summersgill
Friday 9th 9.15am Dymphna Byrne Annv. RIP
Saturday 10th
19th Sunday in Ord Time 11th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Ints Sr Veronica Hangley RSC
Joan Longland RIP
Prayer Meeting
Confessions From Next Saturday 10.30am-11.15am
Morning Prayer 15 min before daily Masses
Tea & Coffee. There will be no tea/coffee after the 9.30am on Sunday during the month of August. We will resume the first Sunday in September.
Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will resume again on the second Sunday of September…..after the school holidays
Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour will be held this Tuesday 6th August at 7pm followed by Benediction.
Lately Dead: Your prayers are requested for Margaret Mary Bowden and James Patterson 2 parishioners who have died recently. Margaret Bowden’s Funeral Mass is this Tuesday 6th August at 11.00am. The date and time of James Patterson’s Funeral Mass is yet to be finalised. May they and all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Baptisms: The diary for Baptisms is filling up so please give us plenty of notice by phoning 645 3314 or emailing us especially if you have a particular date in mind.

Confirmation 2019: This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presiding will be held at Christ the King, Bromborough towards the end of November. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk
Weddings: If you are intending to get married at St John’s in 2020 please let us know as soon as possible.
Prayers for the Sick; Please continue to remember all our sick and housebound parishioners in your prayers and if anyone is in need of a visit/Holy Communion, please let us know via phone or email. If you are going into hospital for treatment and staying for a few days it would be best to ask to receive the Sacrament of the Sick before your admission. If you are receiving treatment at home for a serious illness, the Sacrament of the Sick may also be appropriate. So please do not be afraid to ask.
Money Matters: Last week’s collection amounted to £449.29p. Thank you.

St John’s SVP Group meets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

LPA Trip to Shrewsbury. The local parishes are arranging the Annual trip to Shrewsbury on Tuesday 24th September. Further details to follow
On Thursday 15th August The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady ……a Holyday………… will be celebrated at St John’s with Masses in Church at 7.30am and 7.30pm, Before the evening Mass there will be a time of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament from 6.45pm onwards.

The Diocese of Shrewsbury is looking to recruit a Youth Mission Team in schools and parishes across the Member to engage with young people Diocese. The Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) comprises of full time employees and lay and clergy volunteers. The full-time employee will be a key member of the team led by the Director. The successful candidate will be a faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury. Full details and application forms can be found at http;//dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies. Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
Wirral Foodbank: Please continue to support the Foodbank; The need is as great as ever. ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned potatoes, tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk. FOODBANK IS DESPARATELY IN NEED OF CARRIER BAGS TO HELP WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM IF, WHEN DONATING FOOD, YOU COULD INCLUDE ANY CARRIER BAGS YOU CAN SPARE. THANK YOU.

Welcome Café’s Just a reminder and a word of encouragement to use the Diocesan Welcome Café’s. These distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to the individual and are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. Also every Friday at St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm.
St Anne’s Parish Centre, Rock Ferry has now been fully refurbished and is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, If you wish to book the centre for Baptism Celebrations, Wedding Receptions, Funeral Gatherings etc please contact manager Ben Howard Tel 07435 966586 or email bha@ypcevents.com

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 28th July, 2019,Cycle C

St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)

Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael DalyPhone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.comWebsites:www.stjohnevang.co.ukwww.lpa24.org

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 28th July, 2019,Cycle C

WORD OF GOD
Father, may your name be held holy,your kingdom come;give us each day our daily bread,and forgive us our sins,for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.
(Luke 11: 2-4)

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Lord Jesus, you teach us to pray so that we may know the will of your Father:
Lord, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you grant us our daily bread and forgive us our sins:
Christ, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you inspire us by your Spirit to be citizens of the heavenly kingdom:Lord, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others. May he show us his mercy and lead us rejoicing to everlasting life. Amen.

Fully Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 23rd September 2019. £599.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight with 10kg hand luggage, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full Irish Breakfast each morning and 4 Course Dinner each evening. Lunch on days out. All entertainment and excursions included. Wheelchair accessible rooms in the hotel. Limited single rooms at supplement of £100. Groups and Individual bookings welcome. Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 oremail knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful
reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by12 noon on Thursdays.Many thanks.

FAITH IN FOCUS: PRAY LIKE THIS
The apostles already knew how to pray when they asked Jesus to teach them. They had prayed in common in the synagogues and must have had their quiet moments with God. But they sensed that Jesus had a different way of praying that he relied on so much to achieve his mission. What Jesus did was to teach them the difference between prayers and prayer. Anyone can say prayers but not everyone can pray. What was this technique of Jesus all about?
Pray to God not out of duty, says Jesus, but because he is your Father. Talk to him as a child would to a parent. And don’t begin by asking for things. Begin by recognising the holiness of his name, by sharing his great desire for a kingdom on earth that shares the values of heaven. Pray that what God wants may become a reality. And when you do ask for things, just ask for what you really need, not for what you fancy you’d like. Do this honestly, recognising that your faults are overlooked by God only if you too are prepared to show unconditional forgiveness to others. Ask for the courage to do this even though it might hurt. Ask God to keep you safe from harm and never to let you get to the point where you may be prepared to abandon your faith in his promises in exchange for some earthly pleasure or convenience.
The “Our Father” or the “Lord’s Prayer” contains all these ingredients and is a useful prayer for saying in common. But it’s only a model. When Jesus taught the apostles to pray, he wasn’t telling them to keep saying these words in their hearts. He was saying, “This is the sort of approach and attitude you should come before God with”. If we included all of this in our prayer we would soon grow in our relationship with our Father. Finally, we have to remember that God is not a spiritual one-armed bandit. If we put enough prayers in we don’t automatically get what we want. Perhaps prayer isn’t so much about changing God’s mind as about making us sensitive to what our real needs are and what God wants from us. Maybe prayer gives us a clearer vision and the courage to meet the challenge. That way we always get what we need.

17th Sunday in Ord Time 28th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Peter Bowman RIP
Moira Roberts RIP
Prayer Meeting
Monday 29th 9.15am No Mass or Service
Tuesday 30th 9.15am John McIntosh RIP
Wednesday 31st 9.15 am Lourdes Pilgrims
Thursday 1st 7.30am Ints Jones Family
Friday 2nd 9.15am Tom Sarson RIP
Saturday 3rd
18th Sunday in Ord Time 4th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Ints Father Owen Gallagher
Ints St John’s Parish
Prayer Meeting
ConfessionsNext Saturday 4.15pm-4.45pm
Morning Prayer 15 min before daily Masses
Children’s Liturgy at Sunday 9.30am Mass will resume again on the second Sunday of September…..after the school holidays
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. A great opportunity to meet and make friends.

Baptisms: The diary for Baptisms isfilling up so please give us plenty of notice by phoning 645 3314 or emailing us especially if you have a particular date in mind.
Confirmation 2019: This year’s Confirmation Mass with Bishop Mark presidingwill be held at Christ the King, Bromborough towards the end of November. The preparation programme will start in September and is open to candidates in Year 9 and above. For information please email us at st.annes@hotmail.co.uk
Weddings: If you are intending to get married at St John’s in 2020 please let us know as soon as possible.
Prayers for the Sick ;Please continue to remember all our sick and housebound parishioners in your prayers and if anyone is in need of a visit/Holy Communion, please let us know via phone or email. If you are going into hospital for treatment and staying for a few days it would be best to ask to receive the Sacrament of the Sick before your admission. If you are receiving treatment at home for a serious illness, the Sacrament of the Sick may also be appropriate. So pleasedo not be afraid to ask.

Lately Dead: Your prayers are requested for Margaret Mary Bowden of Grove Square, New Ferry who died last weekend Funeral Mass at St Johns on Tuesday 6th August at 11.00am. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Money Matters:Last week’s collection amounted to £553.82p. Thank you.
Thank you to all who supported, and continue to support this important activity each month.
The 2019 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes is now underway. It is possible to tune into the live feed for the International Mass which is at 8.30am BST this Sunday and the Grotto Mass at 7.30am this Monday. The link is http://www.lourdes-france.org and then select Lourdes TV.
Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour………Tuesday 6th August at 7pm followed by Benediction.
LPA Trip to Shrewsbury. The local parishes are arranging the Annual trip to Shrewsbury on Tuesday 24th September. Full details in the bulletin next week.

St John’s SVP Groupmeets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

The Diocese of Shrewsbury is looking to recruit a Youth Mission Team in schools and parishes across the Member to engage with young people Diocese. The Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) comprises of full time employees and lay and clergy volunteers. The full-time employee will be a key member of the team led by the Director. The successful candidate will be a faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury. Full details and application forms can be found at http;//dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies. Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
Wirral Foodbank: Please continue to support the Foodbank; The need is as great as ever. ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED:Tinned potatoes, tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk. FOODBANK IS DESPARATELY IN NEED OF CARRIER BAGS TO HELP WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM IF, WHEN DONATING FOOD, YOU COULD INCLUDE ANY CARRIER BAGS YOU CAN SPARE. THANK YOU.

Welcome Café’s Just a reminder and a word of encouragement to use the Diocesan Welcome Café’s. These distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to the individual and are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. Also every Friday at St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm.

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 21st July, 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)

Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: http://www.stjohnevang.co.uk http://www.lpa24.org

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 21st July, 2019, Cycle C

WORD OF GOD
It is Mary who has chosen the better part;it is not to be taken from her.
(Luke 10: 42)

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Lord, we have placed before you our own needs and those of the world. Help us to be attentive to others, to take time to listen and to respond. Make us good hosts, like Mary of Bethany, so that we may be active in good works and always anxious to meet the needs of those whom your love places as our guests. We make this and all our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fully Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 23rd September 2019. £599.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight with 10kg hand luggage, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full Irish Breakfast each morning and 4 Course Dinner each evening. Lunch on days out. All entertainment and excursions included. Wheelchair accessible rooms in the hotel. Limited single rooms at supplement of £100. Groups and Individual bookings welcome. Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful
reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

FAITH IN FOCUS: HOSPITALITY
Imagine that you and your husband or wife are in your eighties and are told you are going to have a baby. And this is because you showed hospitality to three strangers. That’s what happened to Abraham and Sarah: Isaac was born.
A similar situation arises with Martha and Mary who are playing host to Jesus. Martha moans that Mary is sitting around while she has to do all the work. Yet Jesus praises Mary for being a good host and says that she is the one who will benefit from what she has done.
It’s easy to polarise Martha and Mary and make it a straight fight between activity and rest, work and contemplation. But this misses the point.
When we have visitors for a meal there is no point in sitting around chatting if we haven’t prepared the food. But nor would we want to sit people down to eat as soon as they knock on the door. A good host knows how to set guests at ease, to make them comfortable, to let them settle down, get things off their chest and relax.
In our Christian lives we need the balance between Martha and Mary. If the Church were just a talking-shop then nothing would ever get done and we would all be hypocrites. Yet if we just rushed around incessantly organising fundraisers and holding special services then we would soon run out of steam and probably out of motive.
We must never be so taken up with the work of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the work. Our work as Christians is to serve others in order to serve God. This means that the people we meet are given to us by God as occasions for seeing his face. If we are to respond to God in others then we need to cultivate the habit of talking to God, of trying to discern God’s voice in our work, our family, our socialising. What Martha shows us today is that we can become bound up with our “doing” to the extent that we never really meet God in the things that we are doing.
God is alive and well and will be offering you the chance to play host to him several times in the coming week. Will you have the nous to sit, to listen and to relax with him?
16th Sunday in Ord Time 21st 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Edward Hyland RIP
Ted Corrigan RIP
Prayer Meeting
Monday 22nd 9.15am Norah McCormack RIP
Tuesday 23rd 9.15am No Mass or Service
Wednesday 24th 9.15 am Tim Delaney Anniv RIP
Thursday 25th 7.30am Peter Doran RIP
Friday 26th 9.15am No Mass or Service
Saturday 27th
17th Sunday in Ord Time 28th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Peter Bowman RIP
Moira Roberts RIP
Prayer Meeting
Confessions Next Saturday 4.15pm-4.45pm
Morning Prayer 15 min before daily Masses
During the 5pm Mass this Saturday 20th July, Brenda and Dave Bell will receive a special blessing on their Golden Wedding Anniversary. May God continue to bless their Marriage and their family.

Children’s Liturgy- will resume again after the school holidays.

Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre.

Friday is the Feast of St Anne. There won’t be a Mass here at St John’s on that day but all are most welcome to the 12noon Mass at St Anne’s which will be preceded by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions from 11am onwards.

Prayers for the Sick ; Please continue to remember all our sick and housebound parishioners in your prayers and if anyone is in need of a visit/Holy Communion, please let us know via phone or email. If you are going into hospital for treatment and staying for a few days it would be best to ask to receive the Sacrament of the Sick before your admission. If you are receiving treatment at home for a serious illness, the Sacrament of the Sick may also be appropriate. So please do not be afraid to ask.
Lately Dead Your prayers are requested for David Sharkey ( father of Catherine Sharkey- teacher at St John’s Infant School) who has died recently. Funeral Mass at St Paul’s Beechwood on Monday at 11.30am. Also for Tom Sarson (brother of Colette Sarson) whose Funeral Mass is at St Anne’s, Rock Ferry on Tuesday at 9.30am. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.

Money Matters: Last week’s collection amounted to £573.46p. Thank you.

Traidcraft goods will be on sale after all Masses this weekend. Please take time to have a look and support this worthwhile cause.
School News –Wishing our children & young people a happy and safe holiday and wishing all our school staff and governors a restful and peaceful time. Thanks for all the hard work and for all that has been achieved in the past school year.
The Grace Group- meets in the presbytery on Tuesday at 7pm.

St John’s SVP Group meets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes- The Pilgrimage sets off at the end of this week with several of our parishioners participating. This year there are over 750 pilgrims which is an increase on the last couple of years. It is possible to tune into the live feed for the international Mass which is at 8.30am BST on Sunday 28th July and the Grotto Mass at 7.30am BST on Monday 29th July. The link is http://www.lourdes-france.org and then select Lourdes TV.
The Diocese of Shrewsbury is looking to recruit a Youth Mission Team in schools and parishes across the Member to engage with young people Diocese. The Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) comprises of full time employees and lay and clergy volunteers. The full-time employee will be a key member of the team led by the Director. The successful candidate will be a faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury. Full details and application forms can be found at http;//dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies. Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
Wirral Foodbank: Please continue to support the Foodbank; The need is as great as ever. ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned potatoes, tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk. FOODBANK IS DESPARATELY IN NEED OF CARRIER BAGS TO HELP WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM IF, WHEN DONATING FOOD, YOU COULD INCLUDE ANY CARRIER BAGS YOU CAN SPARE. THANK YOU.

Welcome Café’s Just a reminder and a word of encouragement to use the Diocesan Welcome Café’s. These distribute surplus supermarket food at no cost to the individual and are held every Tuesday at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road Rock Ferry from 11am-1pm. Also every Friday at St Werburgh’s Parish Centre, Grange Precinct, Birkenhead from 11am-1pm.

Please take a look at the Notice Boards at the back of Church for details of other Local Events over the next few weeks, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Catholic Voice and buy a Catholic paper.

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 14th July, 2019, Cycle C

St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)

Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: http://www.stjohnevang.co.uk http://www.lpa24.org

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 14th July, 2019, Cycle C

WORD OF GOD
For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. (Deuteronomy 30: 11)

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Let us pray for those who suffer from violence throughout the world, but especially in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Holy Land.
In your loving kindness, Lord:Grant us your peace.
Let us pray for the victims of crime in our own nation, for those whose lives have been inconvenienced or irreparably damaged through violence, robbery or deception. In your loving kindness, Lord:Grant us your peace.
Let us pray for those who work in the caring professions, particularly for doctors and nurses, for ambulance staff, social workers and for Samaritans.
In your loving kindness, Lord:Grant us your peace.
Let us pray for our young people who are leaving school at this time of the year, that they may be supported in their choice to seek further education or employment and that they may be happy and fulfilled in what they do.
In your loving kindness, Lord:Grant us your peace.

Wirral Foodbank: Please continue to give to the Foodbank; The need is as great as ever. Although we were very well supported with donations at Easter, the need for our food has risen by 54% on this period last year, so the food is being given out very quickly. ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned potatoes, tinned fruit, instant mash, squash, sponge puddings, hot chocolate, shower gel, washing up liquid, jam and UHT milk. FOODBANK IS DESPARATELY IN NEED OF CARRIER BAGS TO HELP WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM IF, WHEN DONATING FOOD, YOU COULD INCLUDE ANY CARRIER BAGS YU CAN SPARE, PLEASE. THANK YOU.

Please remember the Card Rack at the back of the Church. This is now well stocked with Mass Cards, First Communion Cards etc. Do not forget to buy your Catholic Paper.

Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful
reflection on next Sunday’s readings.

If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.

FAITH IN FOCUS: KITCHEN SINK HEROES
Jesus rubs up everyone in today’s gospel. First he angers the Jewish establishment by telling a story about a man who was mugged, ignored by two clergymen and helped by a member of the hated ethnic minority. Then he shuts the legal boffins up by saying that you don’t need a degree in jurisprudence to understand God’s Law. Just a bit of common sense will do. You can know the Law but still be incapable of love.
In fact, that’s what God said through Moses in today’s reading from Deuteronomy: “This Law is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach…it is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart.” Yet we have problems thinking that God’s Law should be so easy. Coming from a superhero culture we tend to expect some great heroic sacrifice will be asked of us, some death-defying feat that will hit the front pages of the newspapers. But God simply says: look around and make sure your neighbour is OK. Christian morality is as simple as that. Love your neighbour.
Today’s Samaritans are not those who go off to save the Third World but those who keep an eye out for the elderly or sick person on their street. They’re the kitchen sink heroes whose daily acts of kindness show that everyone is their neighbour. We shouldn’t need to ask, “Who is my neighbour?” Rather, we should listen for the call within us to become close to those in need around us.
St David said, “Do the little things well”. Perhaps that’s what God is trying to tell us today. For if we want to fulfil God’s Law, then we will do so by opening our eyes and ears and responding to people of all races and creeds when they need us. This is not something so difficult that only professionals can grasp it. It’s obvious, says God. It’s what we would want others to do for us, and we can do it for others simply by doing the little things well.

15th Sunday in Ord Time 14th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm St John’s Parishioners
Jim Jones Anniv RIP
Prayer Meeting
Monday 15th 9.15am Madge Callaghan Anniv
Tuesday 16th 9.15am Ints of Elaine Mullins
Wednesday 17th 10.00am St John’s Leavers in school
Thursday 18th 7.30am Fr Michael Murray RIP
Friday 19th 9.15am Barbara Forshaw RIP
Saturday 20th 10.00am Sisters of Carmel Mass
16th Sunday in Ord Time 21st 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Edward Hyland RIP
Ted Corrigan RIP
Prayer Meeting
Confessions Next Saturday 4.15pm-4.45pm
Morning Prayer
15 minutes before daily Masses

Children’s Liturgy: Each Sunday during 9.30am Mass in the side/day chapel. All welcome.

Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre.

Prayers for the Sick ; Please continue to remember all our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers and if anyone is in need of a visit/Holy Communion, please let us know. If you are going into hospital for treatment (particularly surgery) and stay for a few days (or more) it would be best to ask to receive the Sacrament of the Sick before your admission. If you are receiving treatment at home for a serious illness, the Sacrament of the Sick may also be appropriate. So please do not be afraid to ask.

Lately Dead Your prayers are requested for David Sharkey ( father of Catherine Sharkey- teacher at St John’s Infant School) who has died recently. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Money Matters: Last week’s collection amounted to £594.21p. Thank you.
School News – We are now into the last week of the school year. St John’s Junior School will hold a full school Mass in church on Tuesday at 9.15am to which all parishioners are most welcome. The Year 6 Leavers Mass is at 10am in school and due to limited space is for parents and children only.
St John’s Parish Pastoral Team meet on Wednesday at 7.30pm in the presbytery. If you have any thoughts or suggestions for the team to consider please use the Suggestion Box at the back of church or put a note through the presbytery letter box.

St John’s SVP Group meets in the presbytery on Thursday at 6.30pm

The Bereavement Group -Thank you to all those who organised and supported the Bereavement Service on Thursday evening. If you were unable to be with us you will find your loved one’s named candle on a window ledge in church. Please take it home and light it in memory of your loved one.

Readers: There will be a meeting for all parish readers this Saturday at 10.30am in Church. Please make every effort to attend. Thank you.

Father Owen Gallagher was ordained to the Priesthood on Saturday at St. Michael and All Angels, Woodchurch . It was a special day for him and we continue to remember him in our prayers and thank God for the gift of another priest for the Diocese of Shrewsbury.

The Diocese of Shrewsbury is looking to recruit a Youth Mission Team in schools and parishes across the Member to engage with young people Diocese. The Shrewsbury Youth Mission Team (SYMT) comprises of full time employees and lay and clergy volunteers. The full-time employee will be a key member of the team led by the Director. The successful candidate will be a faithful practising Catholic, happily living their faith and willing to give positive witness to young people and serve as a representative of the Bishop and Diocese of Shrewsbury. Full details and application forms can be found at http;//dioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies. Completed applications should be returned to recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.

Fully Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 23rd September 2019. £599.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight with 10kg hand luggage, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full Irish Breakfast each morning and 4 Course Dinner each evening. Lunch on days out. All entertainment and excursions included. Wheelchair accessible rooms in the hotel. Limited single rooms at supplement of £100. Groups and Individual bookings welcome. Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
Knock Pilgrimages is a member of the Travel Trust Association and is fully protected by ATOL T7613