Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 20th September, 2020. Cycle A

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

Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 13th September, 2020. Cycle A

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.

Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 6th September, 2020. Cycle A

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.

FAITH IN FOCUS: CHRISTIAN FOOTPRINT

It’s become very fashionable these days to talk about having a carbon footprint. It makes us realise that each of us uses up energy in many different ways and when we least suspect it. So it’s not only flying all over the world or driving a gas-guzzling car that leaves its carbon deposit in our atmosphere, but also little things like leaving the TV on standby overnight or forgetting to switch the light off when we no longer need it. Of course, keeping the fridge door wide open doesn’t help either!In theory it’s possible to monitor people’s carbon footprints so that at the end of a week, month or year you can tell what sort of a mark they’ve made on our environment.But just imagine keeping a record of a different type of footprint, something positive rather than negative. Let’s call it your charity footprint. St Paul tells us today that we should avoid getting into debt, except the debt of mutual love. And he goes on to say that love is the benchmark of our faith, for love is the one thing that cannot hurt our neighbour. That’s why it’s the answer to every one of the commandments.At the end of our lives what sort of charity footprint will we each have? Will we have lived for ourselves or for others? Will the computers show that on balance we have left more good behind us than bad?Everyone’s against global warming just like everyone’s against cheating. Everyone’s in favour of feeding the hungry just like everyone’s against murder or robbery. The secret is to find practical ways of stopping global warming and practical ways of loving our neighbour. Most of us will not invent a wonder drug, discover a
brand new source of energy or win a Nobel Prize. In the same way when it comes to practical charity it won’t be the grand gesture but the small acts of kindness, the thoughtfulness and the consideration that will count in the end.Think globally and act locally, they say. The same could be written about our attempts at Christian charity. Think celestially and act personally. God calls us to leave a charity footprint in very simple ways that don’t grab the headlines. But just as switching off one light bulb can begin to make a difference, so too can one simple act of charity. And over a lifetime it all adds up.

Twenty Third Sunday	6th	5.00pm 9.30am 11.00am	Des Capper RIP Paul Rowlands RIP St Luke’s Parish
Monday	7th
Tuesday	8th	9.15am	Ints Clive Larkin
Wednesday	9th
Thursday	10th	9.15am	Jack McCormick B.day Remembrance
Friday	11th	12noon	Funeral Mass- William Halpin
Saturday	12th
Twenty Fourth Sunday	13th	5.00pm 9.30am 11.00am	Ints Philip White Rose Prescott RIP St Luke’s Parish

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE TO MASS TIME ON THURSDAY WHICH WILL NOW BE HELD AT 9.15am 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 William Halpin who has died recently. May he Rest in Peace. Funeral Mass at St John’s this Friday 11th September at 12.00 Noon. Please also pray for the repose of the soul of George Asprey who died last week. Funeral Mass at St John’s on 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 reopened last Wednesday. 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

We pray for our teachers at the start of a new year. Lord God, you enlighten our minds with the light of your truth and you sent your Son Jesus to learn from his parents, and then teach by his own life and example. Bless our teachers. May they share their knowledge and talents with patience, generosity and kindness. Grant them the skill to bring wisdom to eager minds and to encourage those who are flagging .May their reward be to know Christ, their own teacher, as the way, the truth and the life, for ever and ever. Amen.

It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass in our safe and beautiful Church! (if you haven’t already done so why not give it a try).

Please note 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 very limited number of disposable face masks in a container 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.

Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time,

we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will continue to explain the arrangement for this to you at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case.

Obviously it goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

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.

First Communions 2020: St John’s School First Communion Masses postponed from May because of Covid 19 will now be celebrated in October with all the current Covid 19 regulations in place. Fr Bernard will be meeting with the school staff on Monday to finalise the arrangements and he and Mrs Mullins (Head Teacher) will issue a letter to the families concerned early next week. There will be more information in this bulletin next week.

Money Matters

Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £366.60p. 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.

The Twenty Second Sunday 30th August 2020. Cycle A

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

The Twenty Second Sunday 30th August 2020. Cycle A

Clergy News; Fr Philip McGovern will be retiring in September from Our Lady’s / Holy Cross / St Paul’s Parish. Last weekend Bishop Mark appointed Fr Michael Coughlan (currently an assistant priest in Wythenshawe )as the new parish priest of Our Lady’s / Holy Cross / St Paul’s Parish. We welcome Fr Michael to the Deanery and we are pleased that Fr Philip will continue to live in the Deanery and will provide supply cover etc.

WORD OF GOD For your love is better than life ,my lips will speak your praise. (Psalm 62:4)

WORDS FOR WORSHIP Lord Jesus, your right hand holds us fast in your mercy and love :Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you fill us with the riches of your grace: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, your love is better than life itself: Lord, have mercy.

May almighty God water us with the spring of his grace, forgive us our sins and bring us safely to our heavenly home to enjoy the life that never ends. 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: BETTER THAN LIFE ITSELF? Psalm 62, used in our liturgy today, is a prayer of a person who desperately longs to know God and to feel God’s presence in their lives. In fact, without God they feel like dry, weary, waterless soil. And although they don’t always feel God close to them they sit and gaze at the sanctuary to sense God’s strength and glory. We have so many distractions in our lives. Many of them are necessary: we have to work in order to be able to live; our lives with each other inevitably throw up problems and difficulties; and in all the process of getting and having we can end up missing the real point of why we’re here on earth. But it doesn’t matter how much we are considered successful by others, in our heart of hearts we know that we will always feel empty if we have not found a place for God in our lives. Jeremiah says as much in our first reading. God is so important to him that he experiences a fire in his belly that he must tell people about even though he suffers ridicule. And Jesus goes even further in the gospel today. What’s the point of possessing the whole world, money, riches, status, power, if it means that you never enjoy the real purpose of life? He reminds us that the only way to enjoy life to the full is to renounce self, to put aside selfish interest, in order to follow him. In other words, if we let anything get between us and God then we become cut off from what can really satisfy our needs. One of the lines of psalm 62 is quite extraordinary. It simply says, “Your love is better than life”. Better than life? The psalmist is saying that if our life is not centred on what is really important then it’s not worth having. If we have found God then we realise that our lives are very short indeed yet the only thing that ultimately matters is that we possess God for eternity. The temptation is to live only half a life, to conform to what our world tells us living is really about. Yet with all its superficial glitter and gloss we know that this sort of shimmering existence can never meet our real needs and aspirations. And those who have found God’s love have no need of this tinsel. For, as the psalmist says, “Your love is better than life.” Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Twenty Second Sunday	30th	5.00pm 9.30am 11.00am	Ints Margaret McLoughlin Bishop Brian Noble RIP Ints Sr Brigid Kelly
Monday	31st
Tuesday	1st	9.15am 7.00pm	Ints Teresa Young Novena
Wednesday	2nd
Thursday	3rd	7.00pm	Ints Pat Bevan
Friday	4th
Saturday	5th
Twenty Third Sunday	6th	5.00pm 9.30am 11.00am	Des Capper RIP Paul Rowlands RIP St Luke’s Parish

This Sunday would have been the Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Brian Noble. May he Rest in Peace. Our 9.30am Mass this Sunday will be offered for the Repose of his Soul. Please remember him in your prayers this week.

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. As we move into September “ The Season of Creation”, we would do well to remember this intention in our prayers.

The Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour –will be held on Tuesday at 7pm in Church led by Fr Paschal. All most welcome to this time of prayer and reflection.

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 William Halpin who has died recently. May he Rest in Peace. Funeral Mass at St John’s on Friday 11th September at 12.00 Noon.

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 reopen on Wednesday . 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

We pray for our teachers at the start of a new year. Lord God, you enlighten our minds with the light of your truth and you sent your Son Jesus to learn from his parents, and then teach by his own life and example. Bless our teachers. May they share their knowledge and talents with patience, generosity and kindness. Grant them the skill to bring wisdom to eager minds and to encourage those who are flagging .May their reward be to know Christ, their own teacher, as the way, the truth and the life, for ever and ever. Amen.

It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass in our safe and beautiful Church!(if you haven’t already done so why not give it a try)

Please note 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 very limited number of disposable face masks in a container 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.

Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will continue to explain the arrangement for this to you at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case.

Obviously it goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

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 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.

Money Matters

Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £550.50p. 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.

The Twenty First Sunday 23rd August 2020. Cycle A

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

The Twenty First Sunday 23rd August 2020. Cycle A

Clergy News; Fr Philip McGovern will be retiring in September from Our Lady’s / Holy Cross / St Paul’s Parish. Last weekend Bishop Mark appointed Fr Michael Coughlan (currently an assistant priest in Wythenshawe )as the new parish priest of Our Lady’s / Holy Cross / St Paul’s Parish. We welcome Fr Michael to the Deanery and we are pleased that Fr Philip will continue to live in the Deanery and will provide supply cover etc.

WORD OF GOD You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. (Matthew 16:18)

WORDS FOR WORSHIP This is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God who calls us to profess our faith by the way we live. Happy are those who are called to his supper: Lord, I am not worthy….

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: RE-BRANDING Peter’s name wasn’t really Peter, as we know. It was Simon. But when Simon boldly professed his belief that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus changed his name for him. He re-branded him. From now on you will be called Peter, which means a rock, and on this rock I will build my Church. Of course, anyone who knew Peter was well aware that he was anything but a rock. He was quite the opposite, in fact. He was not a steady character but a volatile one, likely to explode rather than remain calm. What Jesus was doing by changing his name was giving him the opportunity to grow into being something different. At the moment you are Simon, but you will become Peter. The name Jesus gives him is a calling for him to become something which at the moment is beyond his grasp. When we profess our faith in Jesus, that’s not the end of things. Our profession of faith is not like passing a test and receiving a certificate which we can then hang on the wall. Our profession of faith is a statement of commitment to whatever Christ has in store for us in the future. For those who believe in him, Jesus has a name-change in store. Whatever our name might be, Jesus says you may be John or Mary but you will become Christian. The call to become Christian is a dynamic one that doesn’t simply let us rest on our laurels but challenges us to a lifetime of growth. Just as Simon had to grow into becoming Peter, so we too have to grow into becoming Christian. Peter’s name change meant that he was given a very specific task: to become steady, reliable, firm and rock-like. What does God have in store for us? By changing our name to Christian, God is summoning us to grow, to change and to become something that only we can be, something that God can use for the sake of his kingdom on earth. What special “brand name” of Christian is God expecting from us? Are we content to live out the rest of our lives at our current level of faith, or do we yearn to grow in faith, to develop what God has given us and to enjoy a new name.

Twenty First

Sunday

23rd

5.00pm

9.30am

11.00am

Sr Phyllis Behan RSC

Janice Cavanagh RIP St Luke’s Parish

Monday

24th

Tuesday

25th

9.15am

Ints Canon Brendan Hoban

Wednesday

26th

Thursday

27th

11.00am

Funeral Mass

Thomas Hurley

Friday

28th

Saturday

29th

Twenty Second

Sunday

30th

5.00pm

9.30am

11.00am

Ints Margaret McLoughlin

Bishop Brian Noble RIP

Ints Sr Brigid Kelly

I shall be away from Monday to Friday of this week at the safe setting of Boarbank Hall in Cumbria. Fr Paschal will be celebrating the Masses on Tuesday and Thursday in my absence. Please refer any pressing Pastoral matters to Fr Paschal Tel- 644-7530.

Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession : Father Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the courtyard in front of the Church ( Confessional’s in all our Churches are currently out of use as they do not meet the social distancing requirements).

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 their own needs and intentions.

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 Thomas Hurley whose Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Fr Paschal here at St John’s on Thursday at 11.00am. May he and all the Faithful Departed Rest in Peace.

Baptisms- Hopefully we will 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.

Please keep in your prayers the young people from our parish and your families who are receiving important examination results at this time.

Schools Return- in the first week of September after a long lay-off due to the Corona Virus. St John’s school’s reopen on Wednesday 2nd September. 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

It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass in our safe and beautiful Church!(if you haven’t already done so why not give it a try)

Please note 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 very limited number of disposable face masks in a container 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.

Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will continue to explain the arrangement for this to you at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case.

Obviously it goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

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 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 (Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am)Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.

Money Matters

Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £500.50p. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Your generosity to St John’s Parish during these challenging times is very much appreciated.

The Assumption of Our Blessed Virgin Mary 16th August 2020. Cycle A

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

The Assumption of Our Blessed Virgin Mary 16th August 2020. Cycle A

Clergy News; Fr Philip McGovern will be retiring in September from Our Lady’s / Holy Cross / St Paul’s Parish. Last weekend Bishop Mark appointed Fr Michael Coughlan (currently an assistant priest in Wythenshawe )as the new parish priest of Our Lady’s / Holy Cross / St Paul’s Parish. We welcome Fr Michael to the Deanery and we are pleased that Fr Philip will continue to live in the Deanery and will provide supply cover etc.

Heart of Mary, Mother of God, our Mother, Heart most like the Heart of Jesus, ever compassionate towards our miseries,—thaw our icy hearts, and change them to the likeness of the Heart of Jesus. Be the road leading to Jesus; be the channel whereby we receive all graces needful for our salvation. Be our help in need, our comfort in trouble, our strength in temptation, our refuge in persecution, our aid in dangers; but most in the last struggle of our life, at the moment of our death. How great is the sweetness of your Mother’s Heart, and the power of your might with Jesus’ Heart, opening to us in the very fount of mercy itself a safe refuge, that so one day we too may join with you in paradise in praising Jesus’ Heart for ever and for ever. 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: FORETASTE OF THINGS TO COME
The Assumption is Mary’s feast of feasts. It takes all of her achievements, all of her sorrows and triumphs, and celebrates them in one liturgy of victory.
The woman we see in the Assumption is the model disciple, the pattern for our response to God in faith. Early on in her life we have already met the woman who is confused by the angel’s announcement, shamed by the response to her pregnancy and traumatised by having to flee for her life and that of her Son and husband.
What we find in Mary is a woman who is always anxious for the world to see her Son, a proud mother who wants others to rejoice in Jesus. And so it is that she goes off to compare notes with her cousin Elizabeth…to delight in showing the child to the shepherds at Bethlehem…to accept the gifts that the Magi present to her new-born baby…to tell the guests at the Cana wedding that there is something special about her Son…
And when the going gets tough we glimpse a strength of character that does not give up in adversity. Mary stands by her Son when his audience think he has gone mad; she stands by the foot of his cross as he is executed on Calvary; she joins in solidarity with the disciples after the resurrection and is present with them on the first Pentecost.
Yet we need to go back even further to the nine months before her own birth, to her Immaculate Conception when she was conceived free from original sin, free from the stain that tarnishes every other human being. Specially chosen by God to bear God’s Son, her life was to be a pattern and model of faith.
The Assumption proclaims that Jesus’ promise to us of eternal life, of sharing in the resurrection of the body and being glorified has already been anticipated in Mary because of her exceptional circumstances. Where she has gone we hope to follow.
Mary offers us hope and moves us by example and prayer to grow in God’s grace, to be receptive to God’s will, to convert our lives through sacrifice and penance, and to seek that everlasting union in heaven that she already enjoys.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 16th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Fr Frank Rice 1st Anniversary
Ints Dot & Wilf Humphrey
St Luke’s Parish
Monday 17th
Tuesday 18th 9.15am For Vocations
Wednesday 19th
Thursday 20th 7.00pm Bernard Dagnall RIP
Friday 21st
Saturday 22nd
Twenty First
Sunday 23rd 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Sr Phyllis Behan RSC
Janice Cavanagh RIP
St Luke’s Parish
This Sunday- we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary… the readings and prayers for both Masses this weekend are of the Feast Day and the Rosary will be prayed for all our Parish needs and intentions on Saturday at 4.30pm. (ie before 5pm Mass).

Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession : Father Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the courtyard in front of the Church ( Confessional’s in all our Churches are currently out of use as they do not meet the social distancing requirements).
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 their own needs and intentions.

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- Hopefully we will 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.

Please keep in your prayers the young people from our parish and your families who are receiving important examination results at this time.

St John’s SVP- Thank you to our SVP members who during the Lockdown have been faithfully keeping in touch by telephone, with our sick and housebound parishioners and also with local families in need.
It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass in our safe and beautiful Church!(if you haven’t already done so why not give it a try)
Please note 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 very limited number of disposable face masks in a container 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.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will continue to explain the arrangement for this to you at every Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case.
Obviously it goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

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 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 (Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am)Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.

Money Matters
Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £505.26p. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Your generosity to St John’s Parish during these challenging times is very much appreciated.

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 9th August 2020. Cycle A

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

The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 9th August 2020. Cycle A

Clergy News; Recently at Shrewsbury Cathedral four Church students were ordained to the transitional Diaconate (ie on the way to the Priesthood). Last Tuesday Deacon Robert Dykes was ordained a Priest for the Diocese by Bishop Mark again at Shrewsbury Cathedral. Also recently Bishop Mark, having consulted the local clergy, re appointed Fr Bernard as the local Dean for Birkenhead & East Wirral and to serve as a member of the Council of Priests from Sept 2020-2023. At least three Diocesan Priests are retiring and twelve priests are on the move with more to follow and the amalgamation of some parishes will be inevitable. Please keep all this in your prayers.

WORD FOR TODAY When you get up tomorrow make a mental note to try and count how many times during the day you are reminded of God by some person or situation. You’ll be surprised how many times it happens, and even more amazed by how God uses the most unexpected people and circumstances in order to communicate with us.

WORDS FOR WORSHIP God the Father reveals himself to us in the events of our daily life. May he show you his mercy and faithfulness. Amen. Christ comes among us in the faces of the stranger and the needy. May you see his face clearly in that of your neighbour .Amen. The Spirit leads us into the way of all truth. May your actions proclaim the justice and peace of our God. 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: TAKING THE RISK Just imagine having an appointment with God. Elijah had one. He was told to go and stand on a mountain and God would pass by. How would he know it was God? Surely it would be obvious; you’d hardly be able to miss God’s arrival! So when the mighty wind blew up a gale, this must be God. Not quite! Then a rumbling earthquake. No such luck! Finally a huge crackling fire. Still nothing! Surely this gentle breeze can’t be God? But it was, and Elijah covered his face with his cloak. It’s amazing what creatures of habit we allow ourselves to become. We get into a rut and feel quite comfortable there. And this is never as true as with the way we relate to God. We tend to pigeonhole God to fit into our way of thinking and we’re slow to see God at work when it doesn’t seem to fit our pattern. Maybe that’s why religious people are often caricatured as narrow-minded and blinkered, as conservatives who don’t want things to change. But, as Elijah found out, God is not predictable. God is not inviting us to a boring routine of religion, but to an adventure in faith, a challenge to the way we live. And just as Elijah presumed he knew what God would be like, so too we have grown used to not expecting God to ask much of us. In today’s gospel Peter thought Jesus was just a ghost and he demanded proof before accepting that it was really his Master on the sea. But in order to find out, Peter had to take the terrifying step of trying to walk on water. Only if he was prepared to trust in something bigger than himself could he stay afloat. If our religion becomes as comfortable as an old pair of favourite slippers then we can be sure we’re missing out on God’s challenge to us. Faith is dynamic and God’s call is vibrant and energetic. God always asks us to take that step into uncertainty, to go beyond where we’d naturally settle down, and if we stay within our own comfort zone then we’re not where God is asking us to go. Our liturgy today invites us to look around and see whether we’re not missing out on a much bigger adventure than we’re used to. We may find it a challenge but that’s what God’s put us here for!

Nineteenth Sunday 9th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Ints Margaret Ellis
Ints Mary & William Halpin
St Luke’s Parish
Monday 10th
Tuesday 11th 9.15am Ints Murray Family
Wednesday 12th
Thursday 13th 7.00pm Anne Armstrong RIP
Friday 14th
Saturday 15th
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 16th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Fr Frank Rice 1st Anniversary
Ints Dot & Wilf Humphrey
St Luke’s Parish

It’s wonderful to see so many parishioners coming back to Mass in our safe and beautiful Church!(if you haven’t already done so why not give it a try)
Please note 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 from this weekend members of the congregation must wear a face covering. Should you not have a face covering we do have a very limited number of disposable face masks in a container 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.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have much singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will explain the arrangement for this to you at each Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us in seeing what is best and follow instructions carefully. Remember this situation is only temporary.
A complexity to reopening our churches is how to manage those who wish to attend Mass given the maximum number allowed, how might we manage numbers of people, and ought it to be on a first come, first served basis, or ought people ‘book’ a place. None of the possibilities present an easy solution.
I think we must proceed, as we are doing, with a simple invitation to come to Mass at the times advertised and that if we reach capacity (ie over 70) we must, I am sorry to say, say that no more than 70 can enter the Church. Weather permitting Mass can be heard from the courtyard in front of the Church. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case. I ask for your patience in all this.
It goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

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 their own needs and intentions.
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession : Father Bernard will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the courtyard in front of the Church ( Confessional’s in all our Churches are currently out of use as they do not meet the social distancing requirements).
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.
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- Thank you to our SVP members who during the Lockdown have been faithfully keeping in touch by telephone, with our sick and housebound parishioners and also with local families in need.

Next Sunday- we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary… the readings and prayers for both Masses next weekend will be of the Feast Day and the Rosary will be prayed for all our Parish needs and intentions next Saturday at 4.30pm. (ie before 5pm Mass).

Father Frank Rice’s First Anniversary Mass-will be celebrated here at St John’s next Saturday 15th August at 5pm. Spread the word! All most welcome.

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 (Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am)Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.

Money Matters
Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £517.50p. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations. Your generosity to St John’s Parish during these challenging times is very much appreciated.

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2nd August 2020. Cycle A

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

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2nd August 2020. Cycle A

Clergy News; Last weekend at Shrewsbury Cathedral four Church students were ordained to the transitional Diaconate (i.e. on the way to the Priesthood). On Tuesday Deacon Robert Dykes will be ordained a Priest for the Diocese by Bishop Mark again at Shrewsbury Cathedral. Last Monday Bishop Mark, having consulted the local clergy, re appointed Fr Bernard as the local Dean for Birkenhead & East Wirral and to serve as a member of the Council of Priests from Sept 2020-2023. At least three Diocesan Priests are retiring and twelve priests are on the move with more to follow and the amalgamation of some parishes. Please keep all this in your prayers.

WORD FOR TODAY After the crowd of 5,000 had had its fill of bread and fish it was not long before it was hungry again. What is the deep-down hunger that you experience? How do you try to gratify it? Does your faith satisfy your deepest desires or are you not eating enough?

WORDS FOR WORSHIP Lord Jesus, you feed the hunger of our minds and hearts :Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you are the bread of life that satisfies our needs: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you invite us to the eternal banquet of heaven: Lord, have mercy. May the God of all goodness, who feeds us with the Bread of Life, strengthen us in holiness, forgive us our sins and bring 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. For the time being please do not bring any food donations to 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: SHARING The feeding of the 5,000 has to be one of the most well known episodes in the gospels, familiar even to those with little knowledge of the life and times of Jesus. We can probably remember it from our childhood days. We know that it happened and that it was a miraculous event, but we don’t know how. We even give the story different names to emphasise different aspects: the feeding of the 5,000, the multiplication of the bread or the miracle of the loaves. But what would we like to have happened? Do we favour the idea of Jesus acting like a magician by taking a tiny amount of bread and fish and making it stretch into a huge spread? Would anyone’s life be permanently changed by that? Possibly. Would we prefer to think of it as an act whereby Jesus backed up his teaching with a practical example? Would anyone’s life be changed by that? Certainly. In a world where we’re used to hearing of earthquakes and cyclones in which thousands of people die and millions are left with scarce food and drink, today’s gospel story perhaps has a different challenge for us. Is it possible that the 5,000 played an active part in the miracle? Could it be that having heard the words of Jesus they were inspired to share rather than to think only of themselves? And today maybe we are called not simply to wonder at the miracle and then applaud, but rather to join in the miracle by the way we share with those who are hungry. We can’t simply look at the stories in the gospel as if they were only historical events that took place long ago. If we are to make Christ the miracle-worker present in our century, then we have to give “miracles” a chance. If we really took Jesus’ words to heart and responded so that the whole world had its daily bread, then the feeding of the 5,000 would happen in our lives with regularity. Jesus the miracle-worker would be present through us. So if we enjoy the miracles then we have to make sure we’re part of them today. Miracles should not be pious; they should be practical. Maybe that’s why some people call this event the miracle of sharing. Would anyone’s life be changed by that? I’ll leave it up to you…

Eighteenth Sunday 2nd 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Ints Peggy McAllister
For the Sick & Housebound
St Luke’s Parish
Monday 3rd
Tuesday 4th 9.15am
7.00pm Ints Philip & Sara White
Novena
Wednesday 5th
Thursday 6th 10.30am Funeral Mass Jill Evans
Friday 7th
Saturday 8th
Nineteenth Sunday 9th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Ints Margaret Ellis
Ints Mary & William Haplin
St Luke’s Parish

It’s wonderful to see so many people coming back to Mass in our beautiful Church! Albeit faithfully following current Government Covid 19 guidelines.
The maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures is 70 persons but in order to reach this maximum the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales are directing that for our weekend Masses we follow HM Government ‘ 1 metre plus’ approach meaning 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 container 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 between each opening.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will explain the arrangement for this to you at each Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us in seeing what is best and follow instructions carefully. Remember this situation is only temporary.
A complexity to reopening our churches is how to manage those who wish to attend Mass given the maximum number allowed, how might we manage numbers of people, and ought it to be on a first come, first served basis, or ought people ‘book’ a place. None of the possibilities present an easy solution.
I think we must proceed, as we are doing, with a simple invitation to come to Mass at the times advertised and that if we reach capacity (ie over 70) we must, I am sorry to say, say that no more than 70 can enter the Church. Weather permitting Mass can be heard from the courtyard in front of the Church. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case. I ask for your patience in all this.
It goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

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 their own needs and intentions.
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession : I will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the courtyard in front of the Church ( Confessional’s in all our Churches are currently out of use as they do not meet the social distancing requirements).
In Memorium – Please pray for the Repose of the Soul of Jill Evans of St Luke’s Parish whose Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Fr Paschal here at St John’s on Thursday at 10.30am. May she and all the Faithful Departed Rest in Peace.
The Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour -resumes 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.

Stewarding ; Thank you to the stewards who have continued to steward our Masses over recent weeks. Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard.
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 (Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am)Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.

Money Matters
Last Weekend’s Collection amounted to £506.50p. Many thanks to those parishioners who have been so faithful in their financial support of our parish during these unusual times…. using their Offertory Envelopes, pushing donations through the Presbytery letterbox and by Standing Order…. your generosity is very much appreciated. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations.
Shrewsbury Diocesan Virtual Pilgrimage to Lourdes- It was with great sadness that back in March we realised that in these extraordinary times it would be impossible to go ahead with our annual pilgrimage to Lourdes. With this in mind we have created a Virtual Pilgrimage which includes a daily Mass led by the Bishop or a different priest associated with the Pilgrimage. As well as many regular devotions and activities that form our Pilgrimage. The programme can be downloaded from the Pilgrimage website http://www.shrewsburypilgrimage.co.uk . The Diocesan Website http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org Or the virtual Pilgrimage website https://shrewsburylourdes.com

Father Frank Rice’s First Anniversary Mass-will be celebrated here at St John’s on Saturday 15th August at 5pm. All most welcome.

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 26th July 2020. Cycle A

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

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 26th July 2020. Cycle A

Ordinations Yesterday at Shrewsbury Cathedral, Bishop Mark Ordained four Church students to the transitional Diaconate (ie on the way to the Priesthood). On the 4th August, Deacon Robert Dykes will be Ordained a Priest for the Diocese by Bishop Mark again at Shrewsbury Cathedral. Please remember these, and all our seminarians in your prayers.

WORD FOR TODAY If you could have anything in the world, or if you won the lottery, what would you choose? Jesus tells us that the really wise and shrewd person would try and find the kingdom of heaven on earth. Where would you begin looking?

WORDS FOR WORSHIP May God the Father look upon you with kindness and turn all things to your good. Amen. May God the Son mould you into the image of the living God. Amen. May God the Holy Spirit inspire your every action and lead you to share the glory of God. Amen. And may almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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. For the time being please do not bring any food donations to 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: WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? What makes a person tick? What is it that determines their lifestyle, their choices and their ultimate goals? What’s the treasure, the pearl of great value that they are searching for? For some people it’s about their status. They want to feel valued by their friends, to be respected in their local community and admired in their workplace. They will do anything to be one of the lads or one of the girls, will secretly long for public recognition such as an MBE or the employee of the year award. Others seem to set their sights on money. In fact they end up feeling that because they have more money than others then they must be somehow better than them. Those who don’t have the money spend their time working to accumulate it or hoping that the lottery will one day bless them and admit them into the courts of the wealthy. Living for pleasure and leisure gets to some people. A top of the range car, sex on demand, a cellar full of the finest vintage, a house in its own grounds with electronic security, a wardrobe stuffed with designer labels and a luxury yacht on which to take your annual cruise. Skin deep is about as far as it goes for some people’s treasure. For them it’s all to do with outward appearances. Their prize possession is their gym pass, not for health reasons but so that they will look good to others. Lifts and tucks are the things of their dreams, and liposuction is their faithful friend. All of these things come and go. If your reputation were ruined would it kill you? If you didn’t have a healthy bank balance would it mean you were a failure? If you were to live a simple uncomplicated lifestyle would it mean you were deprived? And if you had a face like a bag of spanners would it make you any less lovable? Jesus told the crowds in today’s gospel that when you come across the kingdom of heaven on earth you’ll really know you’ve found it. You won’t be interested in all these other things because they will pale into significance compared with this pearl, and you’ll be prepared to give up everything to possess it. If you found this pearl of great price, what would you have to sell to buy it?

Seventeenth Sunday 26th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Bob Purfield RIP
John McIntosh Birthday Rem
St Luke’s Parish
Monday 27th
Tuesday 28th 9.15am Colin Lee
Wednesday 29th
Thursday 30th 7.00pm Ints Sister Brigid Kelly
Friday 31st
Saturday 1st
Eighteenth Sunday 2nd 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Ints Peggy McAllister
For the Sick & Housebound
St Luke’s Parish

It’s wonderful to be gathered together again for the Celebration of Mass in our beautiful Church! Albeit always following current Government Covid 19 guidelines.
The maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures is 70 persons but in order to reach this maximum the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales are directing that for our weekend Masses we follow HM Government ‘ 1 metre plus’ approach meaning 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 container 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.
Sunday Masses are somewhat different to what we experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have singing, social distancing needs to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion. I will explain the arrangement for this to you at each Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us in seeing what is best and follow instructions carefully. Remember this situation is only temporary.
A complexity to reopening our churches is how to manage those who wish to attend Mass given the maximum number allowed, how might we manage numbers of people, and ought it to be on a first come, first served basis, or ought people ‘book’ a place. None of the possibilities present an easy solution.
I think we must proceed, as we are doing, with a simple invitation to come to Mass at the times advertised and that if we reach capacity (ie over 70) we must, I am sorry to say, say that no more than 70 can enter the Church. Weather permitting Mass can be heard from the courtyard in front of the Church. Or there is a later Mass at St Anne’s on Saturday’s at 6.30pm and Sunday’s at 11.15am. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case. I ask for your patience in all this. I appreciate it might cause some disappointment or frustration. Please bear with me. As time goes on I am sure some other solutions will emerge.
It goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.

A Time for Prayer From next Saturday 1st August and every Saturday there after there will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 10.30am-11.30am in the main Church. All are welcome to come and pray about the present situation and for their own needs and intentions.
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession : I will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament each Saturday from 10.45am onwards in the courtyard in front of the Church ( Confessional’s in all our Churches are currently out of use as they do not meet the social distancing requirements).
In Memorium – Please pray for the Repose of the Soul of Jill Evans of St Luke’s Parish whose Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Fr Paschal here at St John’s on Thursday 6th August at 10.30am. May she and all the Faithful Departed Rest in Peace.
The Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour -resumes on Tuesday 4th August at 7pm in Church. All most welcome.
Stewarding ; Thank you to the stewards who have stewarded the Masses in recent weeks. We are hoping that all of them will continue these duties at the weekend Mass of their choice (on a rota basis) for the foreseeable future. Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard.
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 (Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am)Fr Paschal and St Luke’s parishioners are always welcome at St John’s.

Money Matters Many thanks to those parishioners who have been so faithful in their financial support of our parish during these unusual times…. using their Offertory Envelopes, pushing donations through the Presbytery letterbox and by Standing Order…. your generosity is very much needed & appreciated. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations to St John’s Parish when you enter the church for Holy Mass. Last weekend’s collection amounted to £537.31p.

Our Diocesan Virtual Pilgrimage to Lourdes- It was with great sadness that back in March we realised that in these extraordinary times it would be impossible to go ahead with our annual pilgrimage to Lourdes. We are very anxious, however, to reach out to our regular pilgrims and to all people around the Diocese to invite them to join us in a spiritual pilgrimage online during the time that we should be in Lourdes. With this in mind we have created a Virtual Pilgrimage which includes a daily Mass led by the Bishop or different priest associated with the Pilgrimage. As well as many regular devotions and activites that form our Pilgrimage. The programme can be downloaded from the Pilgrimage website http://www.shrewsburypilgrimage.co.uk . The Diocesan Website http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org Or the virtual Pilgrimage website https://shrewsburylourdes.com

The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 19th July 2020. Cycle A

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

The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 19th July 2020. Cycle A

`Celia Daly thanks you all for your prayers and good wishes. She has now fully recovered from the illness she had earlier in the year and looks forward to seeing everyone again in the coming weeks.

During ‘Lockdown’ : Father Bernard has presided at a number of Funeral Services for our parishioners at Landican / Bebington / Plymyard. Memorial Masses for many of these will be celebrated in church in the coming weeks.

WORD FOR TODAY When our television news tells us about all sorts of horrors that are taking place in our world it can seem that evil has the upper hand. It must have seemed like that on Good Friday afternoon. But the power of the cross and resurrection triumphed in the end. Jesus tells us it will be the same in our days.

WORDS FOR WORSHIP Let us pray for the Church, that in the midst of the injustices of the world it may be a strong voice for the rights of the oppressed and may be a clarion of hope to those whose lives are threatened by inequality and discrimination. We pray to the Lord: Lord, hear our prayer. Let us pray for our world, that peace may become a reality in those places torn apart by violence and war, and democracy may rule in those countries whose people are denied their rightful say in the way they are governed. We pray to… Let us pray for those who have left the country of their birth to seek a better life elsewhere, that they may receive a welcome in their new home and their skills may be recognised and put to the service of their new-found nation. We pray to…

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. For the time being please do not bring any food donations to 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: IT’S NOT FAIR? The parables of Jesus in today’s gospel teach us three important points about our world and God’s plan. Firstly, we often ask ourselves, just like the people in Jesus’ day, why is it that there is so much evil in the world. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do we constantly hear of awful things happening while God seems to do nothing about it? Jesus tells us that God is not powerless to act. He chooses not to intervene in our world continually, yet he will not allow himself to be ultimately frustrated. For this reason God has given us free will and is a God who allows us our freedom without pulling our strings like mere puppets every time we make a decision. But, the parable says, God is biding his time. Secondly, we find from Jesus that God is incredibly patient and forgiving. If he were to call a snap final judgement tomorrow then we would certainly find ourselves on the losing side. We are not perfect and yet God is forgiving. He lets us have all the time we need, a lifetime in fact, to grow into his love. And he puts up with our faults and failings without rushing to judgement. Every day is a day of grace given to us by God so that we may learn to cooperate with his plan and come to greater holiness. Thirdly, and this is quite disturbing, God is no fool. The parable shows us that when all is said and done God’s justice will triumph. What we are doing now, as individuals and society, will affect our eternity. In the parable the weeds and darnel are gathered up and burnt. We will not be burnt literally, but God is giving us the choice of opting for or against him, for his word or against it, for his Son or against him. And when our days are over God will continue to respect our freedom. He will not simply override our lifetime’s decisions in some sort of benevolent way. For he has more respect than to treat us as automatons. Words of comfort, words of warning. Both from the mouth of Jesus. And his final words are clear: if you have any ears, then listen to what I am saying.
Sixteenth Sunday 19th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Des Capper RIP
St John’s Parish
St Luke’s Parish
Monday 20th
Tuesday 21st 9.15am Bill Taggart RIP
Wednesday 22nd
Thursday 23rd 2.00pm

7.00pm Funeral Service-
Philip Pemberton
Ints Mona Heaney
Friday 24th
Saturday 25th
Seventeenth Sunday 26th 5.00pm
9.30am
11.00am Bob Purfield RIP
John McIntosh Birthday Rem
St Luke’s Parish

Welcome Home! Welcome back to St John’s Church. It’s wonderful to be gathered together again for the public celebration of Mass in our beautiful Church! Albeit faithfully following current Government Covid 19 guidelines.
The maximum number St John’s Church can hold safely with all the social distancing measures is 70 persons but in order to reach this maximum the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales are directing that for our weekend Masses we follow HM Government ‘ 1 metre plus’ approach meaning that members of the congregation must wear a face covering ( on weekdays when there are less people attending Mass we shall keep the 2 metre approach which means face coverings are not mandatory). Should you not have a face covering we do have a limited number of disposable face masks in a container 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.
Sunday Masses will be somewhat different to what we have experienced before lockdown, as at this present time, we are unable to have singing, social distancing will need to apply in the sanctuary and particularly with the distribution of Holy Communion but I will explain this to you at each Mass. For the time being only I will distribute Holy Communion. Please bear with us in seeing what is best and follow instructions carefully and with charity towards each other too. Remember this situation is only temporary.
A complexity to reopening our churches is how to manage those who wish to attend Mass given the maximum number allowed, how might we manage numbers of people, and ought it to be on a first come, first served basis, or ought people ‘book’ a place. None of the possibilities present an easy solution. I think we must proceed, to begin with, with a simple invitation to come to Mass at the times advertised and that if we reach capacity (ie over 70) we must, I am sorry to say, say that no more than 70 can enter the Church. Weather permitting Mass can be heard from the courtyard in front of the Church. Or there is a later Mass at St Anne’s on Saturday’s at 6.30pm and Sunday’s at 11.15am. The Sunday obligation was lifted at the beginning of lockdown and that still remains the case. I ask for your patience in all this. I appreciate it might cause some disappointment or frustration. Please bear with me. As time goes on I am sure some other solutions will emerge.
It goes without saying that if you have any Covid 19 symptoms or if you become unwell in other ways please do not come to Church at this present time.
Sacrament of Reconciliation / Confession : I will be available for those who wish to celebrate this sacrament next Saturday from 10.15-11.00am in the courtyard in front of the Church ( Confessiona’sl in all our Churches are currently out of use as they do not meet the social distancing requirements).
In Memorium- Please pray for the repose of the soul of Philip Pemberton who died in Derwent Lodge Nursing Home recently. May he Rest in Peace. Funeral Service here at St John’s on Thursday at 2pm.
Stewarding ; Thank you to the stewards who have stewarded the prayer times and Masses in recent weeks. We are hoping that all of them will continue these duties at the weekend Mass of their choice (on a rota basis) for the foreseeable future. Additional stewards are very much needed please have a word with Fr Bernard but do bear in mind that HM Government advice states that stewards must be under 70 and must have no underlying health conditions.
Mass Intentions If you would like a Mass celebrated for a particular intention or for a person living / dead, please write the intention on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope with a donation in the presbytery letter box.

What an unusual end to a School Year ! Our Parish Schools closed on Friday at the end of the school year. In the unusual circumstances we find ourselves in, sadly there was no End of Year Production or Leavers Mass / End of Year Mass at St John’s Schools. But Fr Bernard took the opportunity to greet Year 6 on Friday and wish them well in their new High Schools. Fr Bernard wants to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the staff in St John’s Schools and to express his thanks to the Governing Bodies of both schools for their unfailing commitment in what have been extraordinary circumstances in recent months. We pray that September will bring a new start to our schools in every sense of that word……have a Good and Safe Summer everyone!

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 as an interim measure from this Sunday 19th July and every Sunday for the foreseeable future Fr Paschal will celebrate an 11am Mass 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 (Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am)We look forward to welcoming Fr Paschal and his parishioners to St John’s from this weekend.

Money Matters Many thanks to those parishioners who have been so faithful in their financial support of our parish during the weeks of Lockdown…. using their Offertory Envelopes, pushing donations through the Presbytery letterbox and by Standing Order…. your generosity is very much needed & appreciated. A basket is now placed on the table at the back of church for your Offertory donations to St John’s Parish and when you enter the church for Holy Mass.