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
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 25th October, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So Fr Paschal now celebrates an 11am Sunday Mass each week here in St John’s Church. In these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule.
WORD OF GOD You must not be harsh with the widow or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry. (Exodus 22:21-23)
WORDS FOR WORSHIP Lord Jesus, you revealed the love of the Father by taking flesh and being born among us: Lord, have mercy . Christ Jesus, you showed the depth of your love by accepting death on a cross: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you commanded us to love one another as you have loved us: Lord, have mercy. May almighty God continue to show us his love; may he have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and lead us to everlasting life. Amen.
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & the Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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: THE NITTY-GRITTY OF LOVE When the teacher asked the class if they could name any of the seven deadly sins, Lucy put up her hand and answered, “Love, Miss”. “Love?” asked the teacher. “Were you not paying attention?” “Well, that’s usually the answer!” replied Lucy. Lucy does have a point. We tend to boil everything down to love when it comes to living a Christian life. Yet while love is the answer, it is not always very clear how it works out in practice. Maybe that’s why non-religious people laugh at Christians for being fixated with a woolly idea of love. Many preachers get wobbly knees when they have to preach about the greatest commandments of loving God and neighbour, because they are so all-embracing that it’s difficult to know how to break them down into practicalities. But we get a clue from our passage from Exodus today. Throughout biblical history there are three categories of people who are the litmus test for whether our love is real or not. They are widows, orphans and foreigners (or strangers). Why these three types of people? If you think about it for a moment, these three groups have nothing going for them; they have no clout; they are all vulnerable. Widows had a low status in society because they had no “man” to speak up for them and protect them. Orphans were clearly vulnerable since they were young and unattached with no one to fight their cause. Foreigners were away from their natural surroundings and not culturally savvy, easy prey to those out to cheat them. If we are to follow the great commandment of loving God and neighbour perhaps we can ask who the modern-day widows, orphans and foreigners are. Who are the people who have no clout in our society and how do we treat them? Who are the people who need our support because without it they would be vulnerable? Anyone can love a friend. Anyone can love a “nice” person. Anyone can love their family. But the test of our love of God is how we react to those who can offer us no advantage in return. And just in case we think that these people are invisible, perhaps we need look no further than our own street, our own place of work and our own small circles.
| Thirtieth
Sunday |
25th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
David Kershaw RIP
Bishop Brian Noble Anniv St Luke’s Parish |
|
| Monday |
26th |
|||
| Tuesday |
27th |
9.15am | Joe McDonough RIP | |
| Wednesday |
28th |
|||
| Thursday |
29th |
11.30am | Funeral Mass
Tony Jennings |
|
| Friday | 30th | |||
| Saturday |
31st |
|||
| Feast of All Saint’s |
1st |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Thelma Rogers RIP
Ints of St John’s Parish St Luke’s Parish |
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards (in the Day Chapel) or by appointment with Fr Bernard.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am on Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present Covid 19 situation and for all our Parish needs and intentions.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers. If anyone is in need of a visit / Holy Communion, please do let us know, via parish email / phone especially if they are in our Wirral hospitals or at St John’s Hospice.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc has not been possible this October. To compensate for this we invite you to join together in Church on this the last Sunday of October at 3pm and next Saturday the 31st October at 4.30pm to pray the Rosary together .
Next weekend we celebrate the Feast of All Saint’s with our usual Masses of Saturday 5.00pm and Sunday 9.30am. Readers please note that the readings for next weekend will be for the Feast of All Saints.
The Month of November
On Monday 2nd November we will remember all the Faithful Departed with Masses here at St John’s at 9.15am and at 7.00pm ( in the main Church ). Sadly owing to Covid 19 restrictions , this year unfortunately we will not be able to celebrate our Annual Mass of Remembrance for those who have died during the past year. However we will publically remember those who have passed away since last November in both of our Masses on Saturday 7th / Sunday 8th November … Remembrance Sunday.
In Memorium – Please pray for the repose of the soul of Tony Jennings whose Funeral Mass is here at St John’s on Thursday (29th Oct) at 11.30am. May he Rest in Peace.
Readers-the new rota is now available from the sacristy. Readers meeting in the Day Chapel on Saturday 7th November at 10am. Please make every effort to attend.
Thinking about becoming a Catholic- recently, people have started to reflect upon the bigger questions of life, and explore their faith. If you have been thinking about becoming a Catholic please get in touch either by phone or email, as our time of preparation is set to begin shortly.
Mass Intentions
If you would like a Mass to be offered for someone, living or dead, or indeed for your own/ families intentions, please use the Mass Intention envelopes, which are on the table at the back of Church. Place them either in the Offertory basket or through the presbytery letterbox.
Weekend Masses at St John’s
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass . Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening. In the light of the Government’s recent advice, please note that from now on and for the foreseeable future, you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week.
Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who clean our Church at other times.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard if you can help.
School News All our schools are now on their Half Term break. In these covid 19 restricted times we pray that the children and staff may enjoy their break and return refreshed on Monday 2nd November.
St John’s SVP : has always been an important part of St John’s Parish and even more so in the circumstances we find ourselves in. SVP members can be contacted via the Parish email or by phoning 0151 645 3314
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £431.51 p. Many thanks. Please note a basket is now on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Please make all cheques payable to St John’s New Ferry.
Sadly because of Covid 19 we are not allowed to gather for tea/coffee after Sunday Mass now or for the foreseeable future so we have taken the opportunity to tot up the Sunday Tea Money and from it to make a donation of £50 to CAFOD, £50 to St John’s SVP and to retain £70 of it for Parish Funds.
APF Red Mission Boxes should now have been emptied during the month of October. Any outstanding monies should be collected in notes or as a cheque, in an envelope with your name on and the words Red Missio Box, in the post or through the presbytery letter box by the end of this week. Thank you.
Caritas at Christmas Appeal 2020: There will be a collection here in Advent. Thank you for your support. Your donations will go to those most vulnerable within the Diocese, ensuring they have a Christmas meal and gifts to celebrate the Nativity of Christ and create happy memories in a time of crisis.
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 Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 18th October, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So Fr Paschal now celebrates an 11am Sunday Mass each week here in St John’s Church. In these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule.
WORD OF GOD Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God. (Matthew 22:21)
WORDS FOR WORSHIP As we give thanks for the autumn harvest of food let us remember those who do not possess even the most basic necessities of life, for those who are suffering famine, those who are deprived of clean water and those who are experiencing malnutrition. . Lord, send out your Spirit: And renew the face of the earth! Let us pray for those who represent us in local and national government that they may not lose sight of the Kingdom God. Lord, send out… Let us pray for those in our parish who are sick, lonely, bereaved or anxious at this time, that they may know God’s presence in their lives. Lord, send out…
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & the Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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: NO EASY ANSWERS We’re all familiar with the trap the Herodians and the Pharisees set for Jesus, asking whether it was right for a Jew to pay allegiance to Caesar. Jesus must have been making a strong impact because this alliance between Herodians and Pharisees was such an unlikely one. The Herodians had crossed over to the Romans whereas the Pharisees epitomised the Jewish Law. In fact, they hated each other. We all know Jesus’ answer: give both God and Caesar what they’re due. And at first we can think of it as a smart reply. But upon reflection we come to realise that it might have got him out of a sticky situation but it’s not really any answer at all. We live side by side with two kingdoms: the kingdom of secular government and the kingdom of God. And week by week, month by month, we come up against the rub. We find ourselves faced with circumstances where one conflicts with the other. So we recognise the State’s right to levy taxes but we might have problems with the sort of medical or social services they provide with the money they raise. We recognise our right to defend ourselves but we might have trouble with wars and campaigns that our governments lead us into. Christians have a smart reply to the problem, but it too only raises more questions. They say that there is nothing that does not belong to God, so God must come first in all things. This is true on one level but it does not take away our need to use our own consciences when making our decisions, and it means that we have to be quite clear about the influences that are shaping our consciences. We are called to think about what belongs to God and to let it influence the way we live. When earthly authority is opposed to what we believe is God’s authority how do we react? Conscience is both a blessing and a curse because we cannot blindly follow rules and regulations; we have to inform our consciences and act in accordance with what we believe to be God’s will for humanity. Today’s reading is a classic example of how the gospel does not provide us with pat answers. The good news is good news but it’s also a challenge to us to be just as adult about the things of God as we have become about the things of Caesar. And vice versa.
| Twenty
Ninth Sunday |
18th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Members of the Ellis Family
Cora Caskaneda RIP In Thanksgiving |
|
| Monday |
19th |
|||
| Tuesday |
20th |
9.15am | Joe Moore Anniv RIP | |
| Wednesday |
21st |
|||
| Thursday |
22nd |
7.00pm | Madeline McEneney RIP | |
| Friday | 23rd | |||
| Saturday |
24th |
|||
| Thirtieth
Sunday |
25th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
David Kershaw RIP
Bishop Brian Noble Anniv St Luke’s Parish |
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the Day Chapel.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am on Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for all our needs and intentions.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the updated Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc are not be possible this October. To compensate for this we invite you to join together in Church on the Sunday’s of October at 3pm to pray the Rosary together in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady’s statue. Fr Paschal will be leading the prayers this Sunday.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick parishioners in your daily prayers. If anyone is in need of a visit / Holy Communion, please do let us know.
In Memorium – Please pray for the repose of the soul of Tony Jennings who died recently. Funeral Mass here at St John’s on Thursday 29th October at 11.30am. May he rest in peace.
Readers-the new rota is now available from the sacristy. Readers meeting in the Day Chapel on Saturday 7th November at 10am. Please make every effort to attend.
Thinking about becoming a Catholic- recently, people have started to reflect upon the bigger questions of life, and explore their faith. If you have been thinking about becoming a Catholic please get in touch either by phone or email, as our time of preparation is set to begin shortly.
Mass Intentions
If you would like a Mass to be offered for someone, living or dead, or indeed for your own/ families intentions, please use the Mass Intention envelopes, which are on the table at the back of Church. Place them either in the Offertory basket or through the presbytery letterbox.
November Lists: Please ensure that all names for the November List are handed into the presbytery by Tuesday . Please make the envelopes for the attention of Ann Murray and please print all names clearly.
Weekend Masses at St John’s
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass . Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening. In the light of the Government’s recent advice, please note that from now on and for the foreseeable future, you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week. Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply inside and outside the Church and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who clean our Church at other times.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard if you can help.
St John’s SVP : has always been an important part of St John’s Parish and even more so in the circumstances we find ourselves in. SVP members can be contacted via the Parish email or by phoning 0151 645 3314
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £434.12 p. Many thanks. Please note a basket is now on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Please make all cheques payable to St John’s New Ferry.
Sadly because of Covid 19 we are not allowed to gather for tea/coffee after Sunday Mass now or for the foreseeable future so we have taken the opportunity to tot up the Sunday Tea Money and from it to make a donation of £50 to CAFOD, £50 to St John’s SVP and to retain £70 of it for Parish Funds.
World Mission Sunday –in this time of international turmoil and uncertainty, World Mission Sunday is an opportunity for the global family of the Catholic Church to stand together in solidarity, prayer and faith.
Each parish throughout the world celebrates being part of a worldwide Church, giving what they can for the benefit of those in most need. We offer the hand of friendship and encouragement to our sisters and brothers in poorer countries, and to missionaries across the world who are proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have not yet heard it.
APF Red Mission Boxes should be emptied during the month of October. Sadly in these Covid times these boxes cannot be opened and emptied at Church. We would be grateful if you would empty your box at home and send the amount collected in notes or as a cheque, in an envelope with your name on and the words Red Missio Box, in the post or through the presbytery letter box.
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 Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 11th October, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So Fr Paschal now celebrates an 11am Sunday Mass each week here in St John’s Church. In these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule.
WORD OF GOD The Lord will prepare a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines… he will destroy Death for ever and wipe away the tears from every cheek. (Isaiah 25:6-8)
WORDS FOR WORSHIP As we approach the table of the Lord to share on earth in the banquet of heaven, let us pray that God will grant us all we need to follow him daily, as we say: Our Father…
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & the Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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: RESERVING A TABLE Two beautiful images of our God are put before us today. The first tells us that God has already prepared a sumptuous banquet of food and fine wine for us. The second is that on the day we are called to share in this everlasting feast he will wipe away every tear from our eyes and take away all our shame. Everyone likes a good feast but rich food and drink were especially welcomed by people who lived in the arid desert. So Isaiah’s words from God were eagerly received by the Jewish people whose nation had been overrun by a foreign power and who had been taken captive into exile. Despite all their present troubles God promises them that in the end they will be triumphant and that he will never abandon them. The eucharist that Christians celebrate every Sunday is the “starter course” of this promised banquet. What God has promised us for eternity in heaven has already begun. The eucharist is the sacred meal shared by those who have been baptised into Christ’s death and who now await a full share in his resurrection. The rich food and fine wine is the body and blood of Christ who is really present among us when we gather in his name. So our liturgy puts us in contact with the eternal presence of God and is not something that we do alone. Here on earth we join the heavenly liturgy of saints and angels who already see God face to face and are moved to constant praise. And that’s why God has already begun to wipe away the tears from our eyes, for in our worship we are joined in communion with those who have gone before us and whom we once mourned and grieved for. But liturgy is not simply what our parish or community is doing. Liturgy is cosmic. We join our voices with choirs of angels and saints of all time in our hymn of praise. Scripture tells us that those of our family and friends who have died are not dead for ever but are indeed alive in Christ. Liturgy joins together the communion of saints on both sides of the grave. A banquet of rich food and fine wine…our tears dried…our shame taken away…and this is only the starter. Why not reserve a table?
| Twenty
Eighth Sunday |
11th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Ints Brannock Family
Ints Teresa & Ernie Young St Luke’s Parish |
|
| Monday |
12th |
|||
| Tuesday |
13th |
9.15am | Fred Diskin RIP | |
| Wednesday |
14th |
|||
| Thursday |
15th |
7.00pm | Ints of the Carmelite Family | |
| Friday | 16th | |||
| Saturday |
17th |
|||
| Twenty
Nineth Sunday |
18th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Members of the Ellis Family
Cora Caskaneda RIP St Luke’s Parish |
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the Day Chapel.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am on Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for all our needs and intentions.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the updated Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc will not be possible this October. To compensate for this we invite you to join together in Church on the Sunday’s of October at 3pm to pray the Rosary together in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady’s statue.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers. If anyone is in need of a visit / Holy Communion, please do let us know.
Readers-the new rota is now available from the sacristy. Readers meeting in the Day Chapel on Saturday 7th November at 10am. Please make every effort to attend.
Thinking about becoming a Catholic- during Lockdown, people started to reflect upon the bigger questions of life, and explore their faith. If you have been thinking about becoming a Catholic please get in touch either by phone or email, as our time of preparation is set to begin in a few weeks time.
Mass Intentions
If you would like a Mass to be offered for someone, living or dead, or indeed for your own/ families intentions, please use the Mass Intention envelopes, which are on the table at the back of Church. Place them either in the Offertory basket or through the presbytery letterbox.
Weddings If you are intending to get married at St John’s in 2021 please let us know.
Weekend Masses at St John’s
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass .(Our capacity number was almost reached last Saturday night). Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening. In the light of the Government’s recent advice, please note that from now on and for the foreseeable future, you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week. Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number. Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply inside and outside the Church and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who clean our Church at other times.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard if you can help.
St John’s Schools- have had a good start to the New School Year, thanks to the outstanding work of the senior management teams , supported by our governors and advisors. Many thanks to the parents who have also been playing their part in guiding, supporting and encouraging their children.
St John’s Infant School can be contacted on 0151-645-5291. St John’s Junior School can be contacted on 0151-645-9615.
St John’s SVP : has always been an important part of St John’s Parish and even more so in the circumstances we find ourselves in. SVP members can be contacted via the Parish email or by phoning 0151 645 3314
November Lists: Please ensure that all names for the November List are handed into the presbytery by 20th October. Please make the envelopes for the attention of Ann Murray and please print all names clearly. Many thanks.
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £407.44 p. Many thanks. Please note a basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Please make all cheques payable to St John’s Parish, New Ferry.
APF Red Mission Boxes should be emptied during the month of October. Sadly in these Covid times these boxes cannot be opened and emptied at Church. We would be grateful if you would empty your box at home and send the amount collected in notes or as a cheque, in an envelope with your name on and the words Red Missio Box, in the post or through the presbytery letter box.
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 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 4th October, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So Fr Paschal now celebrates an 11am Sunday Mass each week here in St John’s Church. In these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule.
WORD OF GOD What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done? I expected it to yield grapes. Why did it yield sour grapes instead? (Isaiah 5:4)
WORDS FOR WORSHIP May God the Father guard your hearts and thoughts in the peace that comes from Jesus the Christ. Amen. May God the Son fill your minds with everything that is noble and true so that you may give thanks for the gift of God’s eternal love. Amen. May God the Holy Spirit show you the way to all that is good and pure so that your lives may be worthy of praise. Amen.
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & the Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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: LOSING THE PLOT? As Christians we walk a delicate tightrope. On the one hand we can fall into the trap of thinking that everything depends on us, that by our own efforts we can achieve salvation. On the other hand we can become so intent on the fact that only God’s grace can bring salvation that we end up sitting back and letting God get on with it without lending a hand. People who think everything depends on them tend to be great activists. They are the people of petitions, badges, protests and placards. In religious terms they are usually convinced that they have to do more and more before they are worthy to approach God. In the past they were the people who said lots of rosaries, recited numerous litanies and were always found at the nearest religious gathering. They were also first to volunteer for the soup kitchen, the Justice Group and the parish amenities committee. There’s nothing wrong with any of this, of course, but the supposition was that their own effort could build up some form of good-standing with God. The more prayers you said and the more you were seen to be active in good works the better person you were. At the other end of the scale are those people who may well pray a lot but are slow to take up any sort of active Christian role within their community. Maybe they too are seen at church on Sundays and at diocesan gatherings of prayer. But their main concern is making themselves holy by putting practical issues in second place so that they can contemplate God who will save them. Isaiah and Matthew both recount a similar story today about a vineyard. In Isaiah the owner (God) of the vineyard (his people Israel) plants fine vines and does everything possible to grow good grapes but the plot only produces sour grapes. So the owner threatens to turn it into scrubland. In Matthew we hear Jesus saying that the tenants who aren’t producing fruit from the land will be evicted from it. Nothing you can ever do will get you into heaven. Only Christ can get you there. But if you just sit back and pray while watching others doing the work then you’ve already lost the plot. And the grapes.
| Twenty
Seventh Sunday |
4th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Mae Smillie RIP
St John’s Parishioners Private Intention |
|
| Monday |
5th |
|||
| Tuesday |
6th |
9.15am
7.00pm |
Rels/Fnds Dunion & McCormick Fams RIP
Novena |
|
| Wednesday |
7th |
|||
| Thursday |
8th |
7.00pm | Shiela Kearon RIP | |
| Friday | 9th | |||
| Saturday |
10th |
|||
| Twenty
Eighth Sunday |
11th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Ints Brannock Family
Ints Teresa & Ernie Young St Luke’s Parish |
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: Fr Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am each Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for all our needs and intentions.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the updated Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc will not be possible this October. To compensate for this I invite you to join me in Church on the four Sunday’s of October at 3pm to pray the Rosary together in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady’s statue.
The Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour – this Tuesday at 7pm in Church. All most welcome. This is a special time of quiet prayer and reflection. If you have not been before I recommend you attend as I am sure you will find comfort and peace in these times.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers.
In Memorium: Please pray for the repose of the soul of John Fitzgerald who died recently. Funeral Service at Landican this Wednesday at 10am. Also please pray for the Repose of the Soul of Ann Caslin who taught for many years at St John’s School. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated by Fr Paschal at Christ the King Bromborough, this Tuesday at 11am. May they and all the faithful departed Rest In Peace.
Weddings If you are intending to get married in St John’s in 2021 please let us know as soon as possible and certainly before the end of September.
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass . Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening. In the light of the Government’s latest advice from now on you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week. Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number. Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply inside and outside the Church and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who in these Covid times clean our Church at weekends.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard over the next few days if you can help.
St John’s SVP : has always been an important part of St John’s Parish and even more so in the circumstances we find ourselves in. SVP members can be contacted via the Parish email or by phoning 0151 645 3314
November Lists: Please ensure that all names for the November List are handed into the presbytery by 20th October. This allows time to compile the lists. Please make the envelopes for the attention of Ann Murray and please print all names clearly. Many thanks.
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £371.34p. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUES, GIVEN VIA THE COLLECTION, PAYABLE TO ST JOHN’S NEW FERRY
As Pope Francis prepares to sign his new encyclical Fratelli Tutti: we would like to invite you and your parishioners to an online event to share with you the work of CAFOD and Missio over these last few months. CAFOD’s Geoff O’Donoghue, Senior International Programme Leader and Missio’s National Director Fr Anthony Chantry will discuss the challenges facing our global family in this time of pandemic and how we are responding creatively and keeping hope alive. Please join us on Tuesday 6 October from 4-5pm for COVID-19 pandemic and the glob If you are unable to join us live, please register to be sent a recording.
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 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 27th September, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So for the foreseeable future Fr Paschal will celebrate an 11am Sunday Mass each week in St John’s Church. Although principally for St Luke’s Parishioners in these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule. Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.
WORD FOR TODAY
People often claim that they are looking for justice when in reality they only want revenge. They rant against punishments that they call too lenient and urge harsher treatment for offenders. And when they hear that God’s justice is tempered with mercy and generosity they don’t know how to react, except to keep ranting.
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & the Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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.
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 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 27th September, 2020. Cycle A
FAITH IN FOCUS: FIXED PENALTY GOD?
All’s fair in love and war, they say. But all’s not fair when it comes to Christianity. This is because our human concept of fairness does not even come close to understanding God’s creative mixture of justice, mercy and grace. We human beings seem to have an inbuilt sense of justice that is like the old-fashioned shop scales with two buckets. You put the food in one bucket and then balance it with some weights in the other bucket and this tells you the weight that is at stake and the price that must be paid. In fact we regularly depict Justice as a character holding a pair of scales. Whatever goes into one side has to be weighed up and balanced with a penalty of similar cost. In the early period of the Jewish Kingdoms this even led to a culprit’s family being punished for his or her crime although the relatives themselves had done nothing wrong. The scales had to balance.
Throughout history God has failed to take any notice of this type of justice. In today’s passage from Ezekiel the people are complaining that God is unjust because he allows wrongdoers to live rather than die. Ezekiel points out (speaking on behalf of God) that the weight of punishment should only be exacted against those who stubbornly refuse to admit their sin and to repent. And a similar scene greets us when Jesus discusses with the priests about someone who comes to their senses after behaving badly. They are not to be condemned.
This human view of justice and fairness is too crude for God to commit to it, for it leaves no room for manoeuvre, takes no account of the true circumstances of the person involved, and completely abandons any reference to Christ’s redeeming sacrifice for sin and the effects of grace. Faced with our faults, God, who has every reason to be indignant, chooses to be forgiving and calls us to be the same with those who offend against us. Yet we obstinately cling to our appeals for “justice” when in fact we often are only interested in revenge. We plead fairness when what we really want is graceless reprisal. God hates sin and wrongdoing as much as do our tabloids and politicians yet he always views things from a wider perspective of grace and forgiveness. And God’s passion for pardon is so strong that while we clamour for the scales to balance, God clamours for a balanced judgement.
| Twenty
Sixth Sunday |
27th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Rels/Fnds McAllister Fam RIP
Ints Kathleen Parr St Luke’s Parish |
|
| Monday |
28th |
|||
| Tuesday |
29th |
9.15am | William Halpin RIP | |
| Wednesday |
30th |
|||
| Thursday |
1st |
7.00pm | Dr Robert Johnson RIP | |
| Friday | 2nd | |||
| Saturday |
3rd |
|||
| Twenty
Seven Sunday |
4th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Mae Smillie RIP
St John’s Parishioners St Luke’s Parish |
SUNDAY IS A NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE HARVEST and enclosed with this week’s bulletin is Bishop Mark’s Pastoral Letter in these Covid Times. Please say a special prayer for our Bishop this week………Thursday 1st October marks his 10th Anniversary as our Bishop!
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: Fr Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.40am.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am each Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for all our needs and intentions. “The Season of Creation”, we would do well to remember this intention in our prayers.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the updated Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc will not be possible this October. To compensate for this I invite you to join me in Church on the four Sunday’s of October at 3pm to pray the Rosary together in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady’s statue.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers. If any one is in need of Holy Communion or a visit, please do let us know.
In Memorium: Please pray for the repose of the soul of John Fitzgerald who died recently. Funeral Service at Landican on Wednesday 7th October at 10am. Also please pray for the repose of the soul of Mark Redman Funeral Mass at St John’s on Tuesday 13th October at 11.00am May they and all the faithful departed rest in peace
Baptisms- We hope to be able to resume celebrating Baptisms this autumn. If you had a Baptism booked during lockdown or wish to have your child Baptised in the later part of 2020/early part of 2021 please contact
Fr Bernard on 645 3314 or by emailing him.
Weddings If you are intending to get married in St John’s in 2021 please let us know as soon as possible and certainly before the end of September.
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass on Sunday’s and Weekday’s. (we almost reached our capacity number last Saturday). Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening.
In the light of the Government’s latest advice issued during the past week, from next Saturday/Sunday you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week.
Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, at this present time,
we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply inside and outside the Church and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us and follow all instructions carefully.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses over recent weekends and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who in these Covid times clean our Church at weekends.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard over the next few days if you can help.
St John’s SVP : 27th September marks the Feast of St Vincent de Paul. Can we take this opportunity to thank our SVP members for their great work at all times but especially during 2020 when they have been keeping in touch largely by phone and email with our sick and housebound parishioners and all our vulnerable families. The SVP has always been an important part of St John’s Parish and even more so in the circumstances we find ourselves in. SVP members can be contacted via the Parish email or by phoning 0151 645 3314
November Lists: Please ensure that all names for the November List are handed into the presbytery by 20th October. This allows time to compile the lists. Please make the envelopes for the attention of Ann Murray and please print all names clearly. Many thanks.
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £316.50p. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Please be generous as you enter the Church.
PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUES, GIVEN VIA THE COLLECTION,
PAYABLE TO ST JOHN’S NEW FERRY
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 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 20th September, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So for the foreseeable future Fr Paschal will celebrate an 11am Sunday Mass each week in St John’s Church. Although principally for St Luke’s Parishioners in these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule. Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.
WORD OF GOD
Yes, the heavens are as high above the earthas my ways are above your ways,my thoughts above your thoughts.
(Isaiah 55:9)
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & the Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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 GOD UP TO SCRATCH?
You have to laugh at the woman who prayed to St Anthony whenever she lost anything. She couldn’t find her car keys and kept asking St Anthony for his help, becoming more and more frustrated while they were still missing. She began to get annoyed with St Anthony until she eventually found the keys and then said to him, “Oh, never mind. I’ve found them now!”
They do say that the best way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans. There’s nothing wrong with having plans, of course, but sometimes God has a very different knowledge of how our life is going to turn out. God doesn’t think like us and his ways are vastly different from ours. Isaiah tells us that the gap between our way of thinking and God’s is greater than the gap between heaven and earth. And Jesus puts the finishing touch to this by his story of a landowner who paid everyone the same wage no matter how many hours a day they had worked. Why should people be jealous just because God is generous?
One of the hardest things for many Christians to understand is that no matter how much we try, we never even come close to knowing how God works. What seems fair to us, God ignores. What seems to be the obvious choice is overlooked, what appears to be the only solution is bypassed by God.
This side to God’s character is known as his transcendence. It’s the “otherness” of God, the fact that God is unfathomable, that we can’t ever capture his vital statistics (or even “hers” if we’re being honest).
When we stop trying to think that we can control things in this world by enlisting God on our side, then we begin to learn. Once we accept how little we know about God’s ways then we’re really on the road to approaching him. Once we reach the point where we simply invite God into our lives and ask him to act for the good, with no conditions attached, then we have a chance of allowing the Spirit to make us holy. God is greater than anything we can imagine or conjure up, and once we grasp this then as well as some mystifying events in our lives there are also a few very pleasant surprises along the way.
| Twenty
Fifth Sunday |
20th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Ints Les & Mary Johnson
Seamus,Colette & Paul Reavey RIP St Luke’s Parish |
|
| Monday |
21st |
|||
| Tuesday |
22nd |
9.15am | Jack McGree Annv RIP | |
| Wednesday | 23rd | |||
| Thursday |
24th |
7.00pm | Gerry Topping RIP | |
| Friday | 25th | |||
| Saturday |
26th |
|||
| Twenty
Sixth Sunday |
27th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Rels/Fnds McAllister Family RIP
Ints Kathleen Parr St Luke’s Parish |
SUNDAY IS A NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR HOME MISSIONS
Thursday is the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham…….the National Shrine to Our Lady……..the Rosary will be prayed in Church for all parish intentions in these Covid times at 6.30pm I.e. before the 7.00pm Mass
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: Father Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.40am.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am each Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for all our needs and intentions. “The Season of Creation”, we would do well to remember this intention in our prayers.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers. If any one is in need of Holy Communion or a visit, please do let us know.
Baptisms- We hope to be able to resume celebrating Baptisms this autumn. If you had a Baptism booked during lockdown or wish to have your child Baptised in the later part of 2020/early part of 2021 please contact
Fr Bernard on 645 3314 or by emailing him.
Weddings If you are intending to get married in St John’s in 2021 please let us know as soon as possible and certainly before the end of September.
First Communions 2020: Unfortunately due to the recent rise in COVID 19 cases across Merseyside we have made the decision to further postpone First Holy Communions until 2021. We will organise dates for the current Year 4 children to receive the sacrament prior to the current Year 3 classes. Sorry for the inconvenience however your safety and the safety of everyone at St John’s is our top priority. We will ensure that you have plenty of notice of the new dates once they have been decided. Best wishes Mrs. Mullins and Fr Bernard.
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass on Sunday’s and Weekday’s. (we almost reached our capacity number last Saturday). Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening
In the light of the Government’s latest advice issued during the past week, from next Saturday/Sunday you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week.
Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, at this present time, we are
unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply inside and outside the Church and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us and follow all instructions carefully.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses over recent weekends and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who in these Covid times clean our Church at weekends.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with
Fr Bernard over the next few days if you can help.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the updated Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc will not be possible this October. To compensate for this I invite you to join me in Church on the four Sunday’s of October at 3pm to pray the Rosary together in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady’s statue.
November Lists: Please ensure that all names for the November List are handed into the presbytery by 20th October. This allows time to compile the lists. Please make the envelopes for the attention of Ann Murray and please print all names clearly. Many thanks.
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £566.44P. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Please be generous as you enter the Church.
PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUES, GIVEN VIA THE COLLECTION,
PAYABLE TO ST JOHN’S NEW FERRY
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, 13th September, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So for the foreseeable future Fr Paschal will celebrate an 11am Sunday Mass each week in St John’s Church. Although principally for St Luke’s Parishioners in these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule. Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.
WORD OF GOD
Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. (Ecclesiasticus 28: 2)
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church.
The Parish Newsletter & The Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church (via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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: CREATING VICTIMS
Today’s gospel teaches us one of the most important lessons of our faith. Jesus makes no bones about it: if we want to be forgiven then we must first forgive others. “I can never forgive him/her” cannot be part of the Christian’s vocabulary.
Forgiveness is so central to Christianity that it is the reason why we baptise. We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, says our Creed. And the principal reason we follow Christ is so that we might experience the forgiveness of God and be set free to lead the lives that God intended us to enjoy. The Church is the community of God’s forgiven.
If we refuse to forgive then we create victims. The first victim is us. When we withhold forgiveness we take refuge in self-pity. We see ourselves as the one who is hurt and injured and we end up wading in bitterness, anger and resentment. How could anyone do this to me of all people? Me? We allow ourselves to dwell on the memory of hurt and injury and this begins to affect the way we view life, for anger and resentment only eat away at the heart. Lack of forgiveness is a heavy burden to carry.
And the second victim we create is the person we refuse to forgive. We keep them chained up with the guilt of what they have done and we prevent them from moving on in their relationship with us. To receive forgiveness is a joyful thing that brings peace of mind, and if we hold back on forgiving someone then we are not playing our part in helping them to move on.
Sometimes people forgive in such a way that they humiliate the other person. They are so high-handed that they make the person crawl before they are forgiven. They forgive with their lips but not with their hearts. Yet forgiveness is not something that we possess off our own bat. Forgiveness belongs to God, the same God who has forgiven each of us and who demands that we do the same in return.
| Twenty Fourth
Sunday |
13th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Ints Philip White
Rose Prescott RIP St Luke’s Parish |
|
| Monday |
14th |
|||
| Tuesday |
15th |
9.15am | Ints Parish Cleaning Team | |
| Wednesday |
16th |
|||
| Thursday | 17th | 11.00am | Funeral Mass –
George Asprey |
|
| Friday |
18th |
|||
| Saturday | 19th | |||
| Twenty
Fifth Sunday |
20th |
5.00pm
9.30am 11.00am |
Ints Les & Mary Johnson
Seamus,Colette & Paul Reavey RIP St Luke’s Parish |
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO MASS TIME ON THURSDAY WHICH WILL NOW BE HELD AT 11.00am INSTEAD OF 7pm
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession: Father Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.40am.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am -11.30am each Saturday in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for all our needs and intentions. “The Season of Creation”, we would do well to remember this intention in our prayers.
Prayers for the Sick- please remember our sick and housebound parishioners in your daily prayers. If any one is in need of Holy Communion or a visit, please do let us know.
In Memorium: Please pray for the repose of the soul of
George Asprey who died recently. Funeral Mass at St John’s this Thursday 17th September at 11.00am. May he rest in peace.
Baptisms- We hope to be able to resume celebrating Baptisms this autumn. If you had a Baptism booked during lockdown or wish to have your child Baptised in the later part of 2020/early part of 2021 please contact
Fr Bernard on 645 3314 or by emailing him.
Weddings If you are intending to get married in St John’s in 2021 please let us know as soon as possible, and certainly before the end of September.
Schools Return – after a long lay-off due to the Corona Virus. St John’s School’s have reopened. For further information please contact the Junior School on
0151-645-9615 or email
schooloffice@stjohns-junior.wirral.sch.uk or the Infant School on 0151-645-5291 or email
schooloffice@stjohns-infant.wirral.sch.uk
Contact details for St John Plessington Catholic College 0151-645-5049 or email schooloffice@stjohnplessington.com
First Communions 2020: Unfortunately due to the recent rise in COVID 19 cases across Merseyside we have made the decision to further postpone First Holy Communions until 2021. We will organise dates for the current Year 4 children to receive the sacrament prior to the current Year 3 classes. Sorry for the inconvenience however your safety and the safety of everyone at St John’s is our top priority. We will ensure that you have plenty of notice of the new dates once they have been decided. Best wishes Mrs. Mullins and Fr Bernard.
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass on Sunday’s and Weekday’s. (we almost reached our capacity number last Saturday). Please note that the maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures set out by HM Government is 70 persons and that members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a basket in the Church porch but please do bring your own with you if you can. Obviously our capacity number will go up slightly if members of the same household attend together as they can sit together. Otherwise you will only be permitted to sit on the seats marked with a blue and white poster. Please be assured that the Church is cleaned thoroughly between each opening
In the light of the Government’s latest advice issued during the past week, from next Saturday/Sunday you will have to book in for weekend Masses each week. Forms are available at the front of the Church (next to the newsletter tray) for you to take away and complete at home and then return through the presbytery letterbox or by post by Friday 11am or you can send an email to the parish email address with the names of all attendees, the Mass you wish to attend and a contact telephone number.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply inside and outside the Church and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us and follow all instructions carefully.
Stewarding and Cleaning: Thank you to the stewards who have been stewarding our Masses over recent weekends and to our parish cleaning team who do such an excellent job of cleaning our Church every Tuesday after 9.15am Mass. (Thanks too to the contract cleaners who in these Covid times clean our Church at weekends.) Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with
Fr Bernard over the next few days if you can help.
October Rosary: Sadly owing to the updated Covid 19 regulations gatherings of parishioners for the Rosary in houses/bungalows/flats etc will not be possible this October. To compensate for this I invite you to join me in Church on the four Sunday’s of October at 3pm to pray the Rosary together in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady’s statue.
Money Matters: Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £350.10p. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Please be generous as you enter the Church.
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 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 6th September, 2020. Cycle A
St Luke’s at St John’s
Given current Government restrictions regarding Places of Worship, St Luke’s Parish is unable to celebrate Mass in their usual settings. So for the foreseeable future Fr Paschal will celebrate an 11am Sunday Mass each week in St John’s Church. Although principally for St Luke’s Parishioners in these times of restricted numbers this Mass will be a welcome addition to St John’s usual weekend schedule. Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.
WORD FOR TODAY
Imagine if the only thing you owed anyone was a good turn! Paul reminds us that the whole practice of our religion can be summed up in the way we love other people. Love is the only thing that cannot hurt our neighbour.
WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Jesus urges us to take notice of other people’s faults but always to extend the grace of forgiveness. Let us pray that we may forgive those who trespass against us, in the words that Jesus taught us: Our Father…
Wirral Foodbank: needs your help and support more than ever, Full details of how to donate to Wirral Foodbank can be found at htpps/wirralfoodbank.org.uk/give-help. People who need emergency food and support at this time can contact the Wirral Emergency Food Hub on 0151 666 5050. During these Covid times please do not bring any food donations into the Church .
The Parish Newsletter & The Wednesday Word, which is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings, are presently available as you leave Church(via the front side door). Please take a copy for yourself and anyone from your street or neighbourhood who would appreciate receiving information about St John’s Parish at this time.
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.