St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org
The Baptism of the Lord. 13th January, 2019,Cycle C
FAITH IN FOCUS: FROM THIS DAY FORWARD
Baptisms are rather like marriages. Not only are they family and community affairs that are accompanied by festivity, but they also work at a deeper level. When two people marry, the words of the ceremony make it clear that they are embarking on something that will last a lifetime. In sickness and in health means that you cannot simply say that you are married and then do nothing about it. You have to work at a marriage, especially when unforeseen problems arise. That’s why people say that a wedding takes only a day, but a marriage takes for ever. In the same way, our baptism is not something that is over in a day. The ceremony may only take half an hour, but our baptism is something that stays with us for a lifetime. Even though we sometimes speak about “having the baby done”, baptism is not a static thing, something over and done with, but it’s a dynamic reality. We carry our baptism with us even when we don’t feel it! It’s a sad fact that if people do not work at their marriage, then the marriage can go stale. And the same is true with our baptism. If we’re not careful we can wake up one morning and find that our baptism has gone dead because we have not been giving it the care and attention it needs. Baptisms need plenty of fresh air and exercise! Baptism means believing that only God’s life can bring us true happiness. It means living by the beliefs and promises that we made years ago (or agreed to later, if we were baptised as babies). We were anointed with oil to become members of God’s family that is the Church, committed to telling others about the sort of God we have and the sort of promises held out to those who serve God. At the start of this new year, it might be worth taking a look at what new Christians promise at their baptism (or what their godparents promise on their behalf). Ask at church for a copy; see what you agreed to; decide where you need to improve! Has your baptism put on so much weight because you have never exercised it? How do you proclaim your faith at home and at work? Does your life teem with that deep down joy that God promises to those who have been reborn with water and the Spirit? The feast of the Lord’s Baptism tempts you to ask a few questions…
Collections have resumed .
Thank you for your very kind donation of 106.57 kg of food, a fantastic amount. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Let us pray for those families that are preparing for baptism, that the strength of faith in their homes may support and encourage the newly baptised.
Lord, in your mercy: Hear our prayer.
Let us pray for the Christian Church that joined by our common baptism we may draw ever closer to the unity for which Jesus prayed.
Lord, in you mercy: Hear our prayer.
Let us pray for those who have not known Christ, but who are now preparing to be baptised or received into the Church this coming Easter. May they come ever closer to the love of God and may they find in their parishes true communities of faith.
Lord, in your mercy: Hear our prayer.
Let us pray for ourselves, that we may renew each day our baptismal promises to proclaim the Good News by our lives of service to God and each other.
Lord, in your mercy: Hear our prayer.
Are you a Catholic Teacher in a Non- Catholic School? The Diocese wants to recruit as many Catholic teachers to its schools as possible and is holding an informal session to help people make that transition this Tuesday
15th January at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School from 6.00pm-7.30pm. If you would like to attend or want further information about returning to Catholic education please email sue.jenkinson@dioceseofshrewsbury
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery
letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
| Baptism of the Lord | 13th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Daniel Farley Anniv RIP
St John’s Parish Prayer Meeting |
||
| Monday | 14th | 9.15am | No Mass or Service | ||
| Tuesday | 15th | 9.15am | Service of Word & Communion | ||
| Wednesday | 16th | 9.15am | Barbara Forshaw RIP | ||
| Thursday | 17th | 9.15am | Ints Teresa and Ernie Young | ||
| Friday | 18th | 9.15am | Rene Brandon RIP | ||
| Saturday | 19th | 10.00am | Carmel Mass – Ints Margaret McLoughlin | ||
| Second Sunday in Ordinary Time | 20th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Int Maria Coulson& Fam
Ints Ann Murray No Prayer Meeting |
||
| Confessions | Sorry none next Saturday | ||||
| Morning Prayer | 15 minutes before daily Masses | ||||
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
Baptisms & Weddings in 2019: Please contact as soon as possible as dates are going fast.
First Forgiveness for the children at St John’s School will be celebrated on Thursday 28th February at 6.30pm.
First Communion Masses : Sat 4th May and Sat 11th May both at 10.30am.
Sick Visits : If you know of anyone in the parish who is in need of Holy Communion/a visit please do let us know stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com or Tel 0151 645 3314 that includes those who may be in hospital at this time.
Lately Dead: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Barbara Forshaw ( Fr Bernard’s mother) whose Funeral Mass is tomorrow Monday 14th Jan at 12 noon at Christ the King Bromborough. All most welcome.
Please also pray for the repose of the soul of Lewis Doyle whose Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St Anne’s on Tuesday 22nd January at 11am (his son Christopher ‘s Funeral Mass was celebrated at St Anne’s on 27th Dec!) and for Patricia Dobbie whose Funeral Mass will be celebrated here at St John’s on Thursday 24th January at 12 noon .
May all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Money Matters
Last week’s Offertory Collection = £624.27p Thank you . Crib offerings for Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury. Amounted to £220.15p. Thank you for your continued generosity.
Thank you to everyone who supported the Traidcraft Stall in 2018, generating around £1,000 in sales. You may be aware that Traidcraft was under great financial pressure and was due to cease trading at the end of 2018 but, due to an overwhelming outcry, has been able to continue with a more limited range of products. This year Traidcraft is celebrating its’ 40th Anniversary so we will continue with the Traidcraft Stall, thanks to your support.
Memorial Books and Plaques: We are updating the Memorial Books and now we have a new supplier giving you the opportunity to remember your loved ones by buying a small plaque to be fixed to a chair or bench in Church. Appropriate Forms for both are available on the table at the back of the church. When completed these forms should be returned in the accompanying envelopes through the presbytery letterbox before next Sunday.
St John’s SVP Meeting this Thursday and every Thursday at 6.30pm in the Day Chapel. If anyone else would like to join this developing group please let Fr Bernard know
St John’s Parish Pastoral Team First meeting of 2019 this Thursday 17th January at 7.30pm in the presbytery. Any thoughts/suggestions for the team to consider please place in the suggestions box at the back of Church .
Christian Unity Week 18th Jan-25th Jan. As in previous years each day we gather for Coffee/Tea at 10.30am followed at 11am by a short United Service in a different Church /location see below Fri 18th Christ Church Port Sunlight Sat 19th St John’s New Ferry Mon 21st Christ Church Higher Bebington Tues 22nd St Luke’s Bebington Wed 23rd Life Church Thurs 24th Lower Bebington Methodist Church Fri 25th Higher Bebington URC Church A United Service will be held at St Andrew’s on Sunday 27th Jan at 6.30pm
Annual Mass for the Celebration of Marriage This year the Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Mark at 12noon on Saturday 9th February at St Columba’s Chester. All married couples and families are welcome but if you are celebrating a significant anniversary (25th, 40th, 50th, 60tth ) and wish to attend the Mass please let Fr Bernard know and you will receive a special letter of invitation.
As we begin a New Year we rejoice and give thanks for all those who help in our Parish and School’s some more publically than others. If you would like to join the growing number of Parish Helpers please have a word with Fr Bernard after Mass this weekend/during the week. We are particularly looking for volunteers which will enable our Children’s Liturgy at Sunday’s 9.30am Mass to begin again and for people to serve on the Sunday morning Tea/Coffee Rota.
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org
Feast of the Epiphany. 6th January, 2019,Cycle C
FAITH IN FOCUS:TAKING THE TREE DOWN
Did you have a Christmas tree? And, if so, how long did you keep it up? Just until Boxing Day or did you leave it for the whole 12 days of Christmas?
Epiphany has become associated with the end of the Christmas season, with vacuuming up all the pine needles from the carpet, carefully storing the lights and decorations back in the loft and finding a safe place for wrapping paper that will come in handy next year.
Yet the feast of Epiphany isn’t really about endings. It’s about beginnings. The word “epiphany” is from the Greek word that means “showing/display/manifestation”. When the wise men arrive from distant parts with their gifts for Jesus, the gospel is letting us know that the glory of God, in the baby, is being acknowledged by people from the ends of the known earth. God’s glory is being made manifest.
We can easily fall into the old trap of thinking that this feast is about the past, about events that happened 2,000 years ago. Of course, that’s only part of the picture. All feasts are about today, not just the past. But how are we to understand Epiphany?
Quite simply, each of us today is being called to be an “epiphany” for the world. By celebrating this feast we ask God to unite us with Jesus, as shining examples of Christ’s love for the world. We ask that we may be so close to Jesus that we become stars leading others to get to know God’s Son.
So the feast of the Epiphany, like all feasts, looks to the future. When the baby was born in Bethlehem, God revealed his eternal plan of salvation and showed us how to live so that we might enjoy everlasting life. Jesus is the light of the world and by following him humanity is able to be refashioned and renewed in God’s image. This too is our future. Are we prepared to live in a way that brings light to others? To “display” the type of God we have? To let people see God’s glory?
In a nutshell, are we ready not only to celebrate the Epiphany in church but also to “be” an epiphany of God in the world?
WORD OF GOD
Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples.
(Isaiah 60: 1-2)
WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Lord Jesus, you are the daystar that brings light to our darkness:
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you are the wisdom of those who seek to know God:
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are the glory of God made visible:
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
By his coming among us, may almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
WORD FOR TODAY
Today we are called on not just to remember the first Epiphany. We’re invited to be epiphanies or models of God’s presence in our world today. What sort of light does our star shine around us and can people look at us and glimpse something of God?
Are you a Catholic Teacher in a Non- Catholic School? The Diocese wants to recruit as many Catholic teachers to its schools as possible and is holding an informal session to help people make that transition on Tuesday
15th January at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School from 6.00pm-7.30pm. If you would like to attend or want further information about returning to Catholic education please email sue.jenkinson@dioceseofshrewsbury
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery
letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
| Feast of the Epiphany | 6th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Rels/Fnds Fryer Fam
Sheila Kenny Prayer Meeting |
||
| Monday | 7th | 9.15am | Service of Word & Communion | ||
| Tuesday | 8th | 9.15am | Thomas Boylan RIP | ||
| Wednesday | 9th | 9.30am | Ints St John’s Junior School, at school. | ||
| Thursday | 10th | 9.15am | Service of Word & Communion | ||
| Friday | 11th | 9.15am | Tim Delaney RIP | ||
| Saturday | 12th | 9.15am | |||
| Baptism of the Lord | 13th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Daniel Farley Anniv RIP
St John’s Parish Prayer Meeting |
||
| Confessions | Saturday 10.30-11.15am | ||||
| Morning Prayer | 15 minutes before daily Masses | ||||
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
Monthly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Benediction on Tuesday at 7pm.
Baptisms & Weddings in 2019: Please contact as soon as possible as dates are going fast.
First Forgiveness for the children at St John’s School will be celebrated on Thursday 28th February at 6.30pm.
First Communion Masses : Sat 4th May and Sat 11th May both at 10.30am.
Sick Visits : If you know of anyone in the parish who is in need of Holy Communion/a visit please do let us know stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com or Tel 0151 645 3314 that includes those who may be in hospital at this time.
Lately Dead: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Barbara Forshaw (Fr Bernard’s mother). Funeral Mass at Christ the King Church in Bromborough on Monday 14th January at 12noon.
Please also pray for the repose of the soul of Patricia Dobbie who died recently. Funeral Mass at St John’s on Thursday 24th January at 12 Noon. May they and all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Money Matters
Last week’s Offertory Collection = £549.48p Thank you for your continued generosity. Your offerings at the Crib during the Christmas Season support the work of Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury (formerly the Catholic Children’s Society) who offer much care and support to refugees and needy families and individuals around the Diocese.
Collections will resume in the new year.
Thank you for your very kind donation of 106.57 kg of food, a fantastic amount. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Thank you to everyone who supported the Traidcraft Stall in 2018, generating around £1,000 in sales. You may be aware that Traidcraft was under great financial pressure and was due to cease trading at the end of 2018 but, due to an overwhelming outcry, has been able to continue with a more limited range of products. This year Traidcraft is celebrating its’ 40th Anniversary so we will continue with the Traidcraft Stall, thanks to your support.
Following the Christmas break the SVP Group resume their weekly meeting on Thursday at 6.30pm in the Day Chapel .
Memorial Books and Plaques: We are updating the Memorial Books and now we have a new supplier giving you the opportunity to remember your loved ones by buying a small plaque to be fixed to a chair or bench in Church. Appropriate Forms for both are available on the table at the back of the church. When completed these forms should be returned in the accompanying envelopes through the presbytery letterbox by Sunday 20th January.
St Johns School’s and St John Plessington Catholic College are returning to school after their Christmas break this week. Mass this Wednesday is at St John’s Junior school at 9.30am.We pray that 2019 will be a blessed year for all our Catholic Schools.
St John’s Parish Pastoral Team First meeting of 2019 Thursday 17th January at 7.30pm in the presbytery. Any thoughts/suggestions for the team to consider please place in the suggestions box at the back of Church .
Christian Unity Week 18th Jan-25th Jan. United Service at St John’s on Saturday 19th Jan at 11 am.(Tea and coffee from 10.30 onwards)
Fr Bernard thanks you for your prayers & ongoing support throughout the year. He particularly thanks all those who do so much for/in St John’s Parish and schools in so many different ways. Fr Bernard also prays that 2019 will bring peace, good health and happiness to all.
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 Holy Family. 30th December, 2018. Cycle C
WORD OF GOD
When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. (Luke 2: 43)
WORDS FOR WORSHIP
Lord Jesus, you lived as a child obedient to your parents in Nazareth:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Christ Jesus, you grew in wisdom and stature:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you call us into the family of your heavenly Father:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
By his coming among us as a man may almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
Are you a Catholic Teacher in a Non- Catholic School? The Diocese wants to recruit as many Catholic teachers to its schools as possible and is holding an informal session to help people make that transition on Tuesday
15th January at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School from 6.00pm-7.30pm. If you would like to attend or want further information about returning to Catholic education please email sue.jenkinson@dioceseofshrewsbury
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
FAITH IN FOCUS: FAMILY
There’s a certain irony about the timing of the feast of the Holy Family. It comes just after Christmas which is one of the most stressful times of the year for families. Our society puts so much emphasis on the trappings of Christmas that when our expectations are not met we tend to become frustrated with those around us at home and there are probably more family rows at Christmas than any other time of the year. So it’s quite comforting to know that things didn’t run smoothly for the Holy Family either. We can be sure that Mary and Joseph’s incident with Jesus in the Temple was probably just one of many that the two parents had with their soon-to-be teenage son. It would be unreal to believe that they enjoyed uninterrupted bliss together! Of course, this begs the question of what families are for in the first place. Are they merely an accident of birth? Is it the case that families just happen to be a small link in the vast biological chain that is brought about by people being born? Are they just natural practical units, like a pride of lions or a shoal of fish? In which case it shouldn’t matter where children are brought up as long as there is someone there to feed and clothe them. Or are families a sign and symbol of something greater, something spiritual and something to do with God’s plan for those he has created? Could it be that the family is actually the most fundamental vocation that men and women are called to be part of? Unlike animals we are gifted with God’s grace. This means that being in God’s image and likeness allows us to share in that creative love of God’s when we bring children into the world and agree to take care of them. You could argue that in a certain sense the family is a type of “sacrament”, a sign of God’s abiding and loving presence in our most basic domestic unit. To celebrate the feast of the Holy Family shouldn’t mean to become depressed at our own family’s shortcomings. It should be a challenge to keep before us the privileged task of producing God’s gift of life and sustaining it, the commission to live in communion with each other because that’s how we want to live with God, and the charge of sharing each other’s lives so that we may live with God by finding him in those he has given to us.
Feast of the
Holy Family 30th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Rels/Fnds McGree Fam
For All Our Families
Prayer Meeting
Monday 31st 10.00am
Lilian+James McCabe + Mary Ewan
Tuesday 1st 12 Noon For St John’s Parishioners
Wednesday 2nd 9.15am John McIntosh RIP
Thursday 3rd 9.15am Service of Word & Communion
Friday 4th 9.15am Ints Elaine Mullins
Saturday 5th 9.15am
Feast of the Epiphany 6th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Rels/Fnds Fryer Fam
Sheila Kenny
Prayer Meeting
Confessions Saturday 10.30-11.15am
Morning Prayer 15 minutes before daily Masses
Baptisms & Weddings in 2019: Please contact as soon as possible as dates are going fast.
First Forgiveness for the children at St John’s School will be celebrated on Thursday 28th February at 6.30pm.
First Communion Masses : Sat 4th May and Sat 11th May both at 10.30am.
Sick Visits : If you know of anyone in the parish who is in need of Holy Communion/a visit please do let us know stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com or Tel 0151 645 3314 that includes those who may be in hospital at this time.
Lately Dead: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Barbara Forshaw (Fr Bernard’s mother) who died on 21st Dec. May she rest in peace. Funeral Mass at Christ the King Church in Bromborough on Monday 14th January at 12 noon. All most welcome.
Money Matters
Last week’s Offertory Collection = £509.81 Christmas Collection for the Clergy = £1425.12 The Big Card Collection for the Ark came to £50 Thank you for your continued generosity
Your offerings at the Crib during the Christmas Season support the work of Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury (formerly the Catholic Children’s Society) who offer much care and support to refugees and needy families and individuals around the Diocese… see Caritas’s Autumn newsletter on the table at the back of Church.
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
Christmas Services at St John’s
Sat/Sun 29th/30th Dec: Feast of the Holy Family
Masses at the usual times Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am
Tues 1st Jan 2018 Feast of Mary the Mother of God
Mass at 12 Noon.
Sat/Sun 5th/6th Jan: Feast of the Epiphany
Masses at the usual times Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am.
Collections will resume in the new year.
Thank you for your very kind donation of 106.57 kg of food, a fantastic amount. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your intentions or someone else’s intentions or for your deceased relatives and friends etc during Advent or Christmas season, please fill in one of the Mass Offertory envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it and hand it to
Fr Bernard nor put it through the presbytery letterbox.
Memorial Books and Plaques: In January we will be updating the Memorial Books and now we have a new supplier giving you the opportunity to remember your loved ones by buying a small plaque to be fixed to a chair or bench in Church. Appropriate Forms for both will be available next weekend and over the Christmas period. When completed these forms should be returned in the accompanying envelopes through the presbytery letterbox
Fr Bernard thanks you for your prayers & ongoing support throughout the year. He particularly thanks all those who do so much for/in St John’s Parish and schools in so many different ways. Fr Bernard also thanks you for your Christmas cards, gifts and good wishes and prays that this Christmas will be a grace-filled time and that 2019 will bring good health and happiness to all.
St Johns School’s and St John Plessington Catholic College are currently on their Christmas break. We hope that pupils and staff are enjoying a good and peaceful rest and that 2019 will be a blessed year for all our Catholic Schools
St John’s Parish Pastoral Team First meeting of 2019 Thursday 17th January at 7.30pm in the presbytery. Any thoughts/suggestions for the team to consider please place in the suggestions box at the back of Church .
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: http://www.stjohnevang.co.uk http://www.lpa24.org
Fourth Sunday of Advent. 23rd December, 2018. Cycle C
FAITH IN FOCUS: BIRTHING GOD
The scriptures are strangely silent during Advent about Mary right until the last moment. And then she takes centre stage. Suddenly we are faced with a whole barrage of emotions and attitudes that surround Mary and act as a challenge to us.
Mary was a woman of faith. She had no idea how it could be possible for her to be having a baby. Yet she believed that God could do anything and bring good out of it. What sort of faith do I have and how does Mary challenge me in this?
Her life was clearly about to be thrown into turmoil. An unmarried mother, no one knows who the father is, having to flee as refugees, to watch as her son was stalked and eventually condemned…and yet she willingly surrendered her life to the will of God. Do I hand over my life to God’s will or do I get upset when I can’t control everything by myself? How much am I prepared to hand myself over into the hands of God?
Mary was immersed in God’s word and her natural response was to praise and bless God. In fact, Mary uses the words of scripture in order to praise God for the impending births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Do I really know God’s word or am I limited to a few bible stories that I hear in church? Do I listen to the voice of God speaking to me in daily events? Am I naturally a person of praise and blessing?
Mary had every reason to boast, to put herself in the limelight and to consider herself of importance. But she didn’t. She was clear about her need for God and her dependence on him. Do I really need God or can I get on quite well with only a nodding acquaintance?
It was being the type of person she was that made Mary fit to bear the Son of God. Because of her faith, attentiveness to God’s word, openness, submission to God’s will …And what about me? Will I give birth to Christ this Christmas?
A Christmas Prayer
ON THIS DAY
On this day bring back to mind
God’s love and mercy for mankind
On this day may you recall
a tiny babe in a manger lay
On this day remember when
Christ died and rose again
On this day thank the Lord in heaven above
for his sacrificial gift of love
On this day may you be blessed
with quiet peace and holy rest
Misty Lensk
Are you a Catholic Teacher in a Non- Catholic School? The Diocese wants to recruit as many Catholic teachers to its schools as possible and is holding an informal session to help people make that transition on Tuesday
15th January at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School from 6.00pm-7.30pm. If you would like to attend or want further information about returning to Catholic education please email sue.jenkinson@dioceseofshrewsbury
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
Fourth Sunday
Of Advent
Cycle C 23rd 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Arthur Brockway RIP
St John ‘s Parishioners
Prayer Meeting
Monday
Christmas Eve
Vigil Mass of Christmas 24th 9.15am
3.00pm
7.30pm No Mass or Service
Crib Service
St John’s Parishioners
Tuesday
The Nativity of the Lord 25th 9.30am For the Poor and Needy
Wednesday
Feast of
St Stephen 26th 10.00am The Guild of St Stephen
Thursday
Feast of St John the Evangelist 27th 10.00am Ints of St John’s SVP
Friday 28th No Mass or Service
Saturday 29th
Feast of the
Holy Family 30th 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Rels/Fnds McGree Fam
For All Our Families
Prayer Meeting
Confessions Christmas Eve 9.30-10.15am Next Saturday 10.30-11.15am
Morning Prayer 15 minutes before daily Masses
SUNDAY IS A DAY OF SPECIAL PRAYER FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS.
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £597.01p.
The Collection at Christmas Masses is for the support of the Parish Clergy.
Your offerings at the Crib during the Christmas Season support the work of Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury (formerly the Catholic Children’s Society) who offer much care and support to refugees and needy families and individuals around the Diocese… see Caritas’s Autumn newsletter on the table at the back of Church.
Christmas Services at St John’s
Christmas Eve
Crib Service for Children at 3.00pm in Church,
Mass of the Nativity begins at 7.30pm
Christmas Day
Mass 9.30am
Christmas Week Mass Times
26th-28th will be at 10am
Feast of St Stephen: 26th December.
Mass at 10am will be offered for our Altar Servers.
Feast of St John the Evangelist: Patron Saint of our Parish. Mass will be held at 10.am
Sat/Sun 29th/30th Dec: Feast of the Holy Family
Masses at the usual times Sat 5.00pm and
Sun 9.30am
Tues 1st Jan 2018 Feast of Mary the Mother of God
Mass at 12 Noon.
Sat/Sun 5th/6th Jan: Feast of the Epiphany
Masses at the usual times Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am.
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE FOOD BANK. The last Christmas pick up of food from St John’s WAS on Sunday 16th December. AFTER THAT DATE, PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD DONATIONS UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS WHEN collections will then resume in the new year.
Thank you for your very kind donation of 106.57 kg of food, a fantastic amount. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your intentions or someone else’s intentions or for your deceased relatives and friends etc during Advent or Christmas season, please fill in one of the Mass Offertory envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it and hand it to
Fr Bernard nor put it through the presbytery letterbox.
Memorial Books and Plaques: In January we will be updating the Memorial Books and now we have a new supplier giving you the opportunity to remember your loved ones by buying a small plaque to be fixed to a chair or bench in Church. Appropriate Forms for both will be available next weekend and over the Christmas period. When completed these forms should be returned in the accompanying envelopes through the presbytery letterbox
THE BIG CARD will be on the table at the back of church. Please write your Christmas message at a suggested minimum donation of £1. All proceeds will go towards the work of The Ark. Please support this very good cause and thank you for your support over the years.
Fr Bernard thanks you for your prayers & ongoing support throughout the year. He particularly thanks all those who do so much for/in St John’s Parish and schools in so many different ways. Fr Bernard also thanks you for your Christmas cards, gifts and good wishes and prays that this Christmas will be a grace-filled time and that 2019 will bring good health and happiness to all.
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
Third Sunday of Advent. 16th December, 2018. Cycle C
FAITH IN FOCUS: ALL-SINGING ALL-DANCING GOD
The only way we can talk about God is by treating him (her?) as if he were like us. This isn’t as stupid as it sounds, since if we are made in the image and likeness of God then all good things about us must reflect something of the nature of God, albeit dimly.
Yet we tend to think of God as ever so serious. Surely God would never be caught having a belly-laugh, enjoying a good party, singing or dancing? Well, the answer, of course, is yes he would.
Our Advent God is a God of joy. Jesus said he wanted us to know all about the Father so that we could share in his joy. And time and time again during Advent the keyword of our songs, psalms and prayers is joy.
So it comes as no surprise today when we hear from Zephaniah that God is quite capable of letting his hair down. Zephaniah has been prophesying doom for a people who have given in to moral decline and decay. But God knows that there is a small minority, a “remnant” that is trying to remain faithful to the agreement between God and Israel. And this alone makes him want to celebrate.
In fact Zephaniah tells us that God breaks out into song and dance at the thought of his faithful people: “He will sing with joy over you…he will dance with shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival.”
When during Advent we pray and sing, “Come, Emmanuel” we run the risk of calling upon a rather boring and predictable God to show himself. For we tend to put God into a category where we worship him but do not find him very exciting company. This is because we don’t really know him. How many times have you heard someone say that they’ve just seen another (more human) side to Mr or Mrs So-and-So? Maybe this Advent will really come alive when we recognise that God is bigger than our view of him.
And when that happens, there’s sure to be a song and dance!
Advent Prayer
In this Season of Advent, inspire us to be a people of hope.
Encourage us not to be greedy for material possessions, but
for justice and truth,
Enflame us with a love for others, which crosses boundaries
of race, religion and nationality.
Stir within us an appreciation of the immense beauty of the earth.
Be with us, Lord, at this time, that we may be a people of hope. Amen
My name is Cheryl Thomson and I am the manager of British Red Cross, 44 Bebington Road, New Ferry CH62 5BH I am currently contacting local churches and community groups to see if any of their members would be interested in volunteering with us or would merely like more information about what we can offer in terms of volunteering, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will help in any way I can. Please contact me on 0151 644 1997. Thank you
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
Third Sunday
Of Advent
Cycle C 16th 5.00pm
9.30am
3-4pm
7.30pm Mary Haigh Annv RIP
St John ‘s Parishioners
Holy Hour
Prayer Meeting
Monday 17th 9.15am Ints Mary Mulraney
Tuesday 18th 9.15am Phyllis Cray Annv RIP
Wednesday 19th 9.15am Ints Colette Sarson
Thursday 20th 9.30am Ints Lew & Mary Doyle
(in school)
Friday 21st 9.15am Rels/Fnds Brannon & Kenny Families
Saturday 22nd
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Cycle C 23rd 5.00pm
9.30am
7.30pm Arthur Brockway RIP
St John ‘s Parishioners
Prayer Meeting
Confessions 10.30am -11.15am
Morning Prayer 15 minutes before daily Masses
Advent at St John’s:
Each Sunday in Advent…. Holy Hour in Church from 3-4pm
Fr Bernard will be in Church each Saturday during Advent from 10.30am to 11.15am; an opportunity for confession, prayer, for a chat.
Please note that on Thursday Mass will be celebrated at 9.30am in St John’s Junior School as our schools reach the end of term and look forward to the Christmas break. Fr Bernard will be leading an assembly in the infant school on Monday and then taking the Mini-Vinnie group (junior SVP) from the Junior School for a Carol Service at Birch Tree Manor Care Home in Port Sunlight.
Canon Hoban will celebrate the 9.15am Mass on Monday.
Christmas Services at St John’s
Christmas Eve
Crib Service for Children at 3.00pm in Church,
Mass of the Nativity begins at 7.30pm
Christmas Day
Mass 9.30am
Christmas Week Mass Times
26th-28th will be at 10am
Feast of St Stephen: 26th December.
Mass at 10am will be offered for our Altar Servers.
Feast of St John the Evangelist: Patron Saint of our Parish. Mass will be held at 10.am
Sat/Sun 29th/30th Dec: Feast of the Holy Family
Masses at the usual times Sat 5.00pm and
Sun 9.30am
Tues 1st Jan 2018 Feast of Mary the Mother of God
Mass at 12 Noon.
Sat/Sun 5th/6th Jan: Feast of the Epiphany
Masses at the usual times Sat 5.00pm and Sun 9.30am.
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £616.39p.
The 3 L’s Concert: Many thanks to all those who attended last Wednesday morning’s Christmas concert in Church and thank you to the 3 L’s group for their sizeable donation to St John’s Parish which is much appreciated.
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE FOOD BANK. The last Christmas pick up of food from St John’s will on Sunday 16th December. AFTER THAT DATE, PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD DONATIONS UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS WHEN collections will then resume in the new year.
Thank you for your very kind donation of 54 kg of food. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your intentions or someone else’s intentions or for your deceased relatives and friends etc during Advent or Christmas season, please fill in one of the Mass Offertory envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it and hand it to Fr Bernard nor put it through the presbytery letterbox.
Memorial Books and Plaques: In January we will be updating the Memorial Books and now we have a new supplier giving you the opportunity to remember your loved ones by buying a small plaque to be fixed to a chair or bench in Church. Appropriate Forms for both will be available next weekend and over the Christmas period. When completed these forms should be returned in the accompanying envelopes through the presbytery letterbox
THE BIG CARD will be at the back of from next Saturday 8th December. Please write your Christmas message at a suggested minimum donation of £1. All proceeds will go towards the work of The Ark. Please support this very good cause and thank you for your support over the years.
St John’s SVP is now back, up and running, doing visits around the parish and meeting regularly on Thursday evenings at 6.30pm in the Day Chapel. If anyone would like a visit from the SVP, suggest someone who would benefit from a visit from the SVP, or would like to join the group, please let us know.
Carols by Candlelight will be held at St Joseph’s Church, North Road, Birkenhead on Thursday 20th December at 7pm. All welcome.
CHRISTMAS POSTERS – Posters are available at the back of church. Please display in your window. These are provided free by Wirral Knights of
St Columba as part of the Christ in Christmas Campaign.
+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
Second Sunday of Advent. 9th December, 2018. Cycle C
FAITH IN FOCUS: THE DAY OF CHRIST
“Wait till your father gets back” is a dire threat that has rung in the ears of many a naughty child. What will happen when the other parent returns home? Will it all end in tears?
Some Christians talk about Advent and the Day of Christ as if it were like a looming menace that hangs over the Church and the world. Their prayers and hymns are full of apocalyptic references to the end of times and their preaching is geared to frightening people into moral change in order to stave off a vengeful judgement.
If we buy into this way of thinking it’s easy to end up either terrified or presuming that we’re on the side of the good and everyone else is “going to get it” when Christ comes again. So we either shrivel as Christians or we have a sense of smugness about what is going to happen at the second coming. We’ll be alright but they’ll get it in the neck…
If Advent is a season of joy then it’s because we are waiting for our God to come not to condemn us but to set us free. Christ will come as a liberator not a dogcatcher. If Jesus reveals the type of God that we have, then why should we be afraid when he comes to take us to that same God?
Our Advent liturgy encourages us to be joyful in our celebration. We can hardly sing “Come, Lord Jesus” if we think we are ushering in an execution! But at the same time we are not Christian Cheshire cats or professing Polyannas whose worship is removed from real life.
Celebrating the joy of Advent only takes place authentically when we are doing all in our power to make God’s kingdom a reality in our lives. That’s why St Paul today urges the Philippians to keep trying to become pure and blameless in preparation for the Day of Christ. Joyful active preparation for the Day of Christ produces genuine worship. Anything else is Advent idolatry.
My name is Cheryl Thomson and I am the manager of British Red Cross, 44 Bebington Road, New Ferry CH62 5BH I am currently contacting local churches and community groups to see if any of their members would be interested in volunteering with us or would merely like more information about what we can offer in terms of volunteering, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will help in any way I can. Please contact me on 0151 644 1997. Thank you
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
Second Sunday
Of Advent
Cycle C 9th 5.00pm
9.30am
3-4pm
7.30pm Intentions Fr Frank Rice Annv of Ordination
St John’s Parishioners
Holy Hour
NO PRAYER MEETING
Monday 10th 9.15am Rels/Fnds Duckworth Fam
Tuesday 11th 9.15am Val Lees – Get Well
Wednesday 12th 9.15am NO MASS OR SERVICE
Thursday 13th 7.30am
11.30am Mabel & Michael McCartney
Funeral Service –
Elizabeth Bridge
Friday 14th 9.15am Ints Larkin Family
Saturday 15th 10.00am Deceased Carmelites
Third Sunday of Advent
Cycle C 16th 5.00pm
9.30am
3-4pm
7.30pm Mary Haigh Annv RIP
St John ‘s Parishioners
Holy Hour
NO PRAYER MEETING
Confessions 10.30am -11.15am
Morning Prayer 15 minutes before daily Masses
Christmas Masses at St John’s
(as last year)
Christmas Eve: Mass of the Nativity begins at 7.30pm
Christmas Day: Mass is at 9.30am
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £549.03p.
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your intentions or someone else’s intentions or for your deceased relatives and friends etc during Advent or Christmas season, please fill in one of the Mass Offertory envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it and hand it to
Fr Bernard nor put it through the presbytery letterbox.
Lately Dead: Your prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of Elizabeth Bridge who has died recently. Latterly a parishioner at St Luke’s,
Fr Paschal will conduct her Funeral Service here at St John’s on Thursday 13th December at 11.30am. May she and all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Memorial Books and Plaques: In January we will be updating the Memorial Books and now we have a new supplier giving you the opportunity to remember your loved ones by buying a small plaque to be fixed to a chair or bench in Church. Appropriate Forms for both will be available next weekend and over the Christmas period. When completed these forms should be returned in the accompanying envelopes through the presbytery letterbox
Advent at St John’s:
Each Sunday in Advent…. Holy Hour in Church from 3-4pm
LPA Service of Reconciliation with individual confession will be held at Christ the King on Thursday 13th December at 7pm. All welcome.
Fr Bernard will be in Church each Saturday during Advent from 10.30am to 11.15am; an opportunity for confession, prayer, for a chat.
BOST Fanfare for Christmas: An evening of Festive Music, featuring well-loved and traditional favourites and exciting new modern Christmas music is being held on Tuesday 11th December at 7.30pm at St Anne’s Church. Tickets are available after weekend Masses here at St John’s, and also from St Anne’s Presbytery during the week.
3Ls Christmas Concert will be held here at St John’s on Wednesday,
12th December at 10.30am lasting about one hour. Tickets are £3 which includes entrance, free raffle, refreshments and a donation to St John’s Church. Tickets are available from Norah Martin and you can also pay at the door. All welcome.
THE BIG CARD will be at the back of from next Saturday 8th December. Please write your Christmas message at a suggested minimum donation of £1. All proceeds will go towards the work of The Ark. Please support this very good cause and thank you for your support over the years.
Scout Stamps will be on sale AFTER MASS this weekend
Saturday 8th December
Sunday 9th December
The price is 30p. This will be the last opportunity to buy after Mass. Margaret McClure can also collect post as she will be working in the sorting office. LAST POST COLLECTION IS 12 Noon on 12th December
St John’s SVP is now back, up and running, doing visits around the parish and meeting regularly on Thursday evenings at 6.30pm in the Day Chapel. If anyone would like a visit from the SVP, suggest someone who would benefit from a visit from the SVP, or would like to join the group, please let us know.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE FOOD BANK. The last Christmas pick up of food from St John’s will on Sunday 16th December. AFTER THAT DATE, PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD DONATIONS UNTIL AFTER CHRISTMAS WHEN collections will then resume in the new year.
Thank you for your very kind donation of 54 kg of food. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Advent Day of Renewal to be held at St Alban’s Church, Chester Road, Macclesfield SK11 8DJ on Saturday 15th December Parish Mass will be celebrated at 12 Noon. All welcome. For further details contact Rita Wilkinson 07803281971
CHRISTMAS POSTERS – Posters are available at the back of church. Please display in your window. These are provided free by Wirral Knights of St Columba as part of the Christ in Christmas Campaign .
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org
First Sunday of Advent. 2nd December, 2018. Cycle C
FAITH IN FOCUS: CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN?
Christians seem to have lost any sense of expectation that Christ’s second coming should feature in their daily lives. The Jews longed for the “anointed one of God” who would come and lead them into prosperity, but we’re detached from any sense of urgency when it comes to Christ, the Messiah, retuning among us.
Is this because we think the odds are stacked against it happening during our lifetime? Is it because we just don’t care? Or is it perhaps because we haven’t really understood what the coming of Jesus really means?
It’s easy to think that Advent is simply a time for contemplating the end of the world. But, of course, it isn’t. It’s about preparing for the definitive establishing of God’s kingdom on earth.
When we celebrate the liturgy of Advent we are not simply recalling the first coming of Jesus in Bethlehem and vaguely acknowledging that he will come again. This is not true worship. It’s simply cosy remembrance of the past and insurance brokering for the future of our souls. It’s not worship from the heart.
Our Advent liturgy demands that we take our baptismal promises seriously and that we act. What are we doing to bring Christ into our world? How do we make him present in the little worlds of our existence: family, work, friends etc?
All our Advent prayers and songs are discordant if they do not reflect what’s going on in our lives. We can, and must, make Jesus come again by the way we live. Instead of thinking about fanciful scenes in the moon and stars, ought we not to realise that Christ comes again when his kingdom is established? And if we’re not wholehearted about being part of this then what value do our prayers and songs have?
We can sing “O come, O come, Emmanuel” until the cows come home, but it will be empty worship if we are not pledged to co-operate with God’s Spirit in ushering in the kingdom by the way we live. Liturgy is about life. And Advent liturgy is about the kingdom coming. Now.
Advent is concerned with that very connection between memory and hope which is so necessary to man. Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope. The purpose of the Church’s year is continually to rehearse her great history of memories, to awaken the heart’s memory so that it can discern the star of hope….
The Diocese has a vacancy for a Diocesan Mission Catechist to assist with the organisation and provision of the formation of those working in all areas of parish and adult catechesis throughout the Diocese. This is a permanent job and based at the Curial Offices in Birkenhead. For more information please contact http/wwwdioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies
Mayor’s Traditional Christmas Tea Dance – 5 December 2018 The Mayor of Wirral’s Christmas Tea Dance is set to get the festive season off to a glittering start on Wednesday, 5th December (1.30 – 4 pm) at Wallasey Town Hall. The annual dance is taking place in aid of the Mayor of Wirral’s charity appeal with all money from ticket sales going to benefit Wirral’s RNLI Lifeboat Stations and Wirral’s Forrester’s Horn Group of the Riding for the Disabled Association. Tickets cost £5 and are available from the Mayor’s Office on 691 8527.
My name is Cheryl Thomson and I am the manager of British Red Cross, 44 Bebington Road, New Ferry CH62 5BH I am currently contacting local churches and community groups to see if any of their members would be interested in volunteering with us or would merely like more information about what we can offer in terms of volunteering, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will help in any way I can. Please contact me on 0151 644 1997. Thank you
Thank you for your very kind donation of 34.65 kg of food. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box
by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
| First Sunday
Of Advent Cycle C |
2nd | 5.00pm
9.30am 3-4pm 7.30pm |
John & Joan Peters RIP
St John’s Parishioners Holy Hour Prayer Meeting |
||
| Monday | 3rd | 9.15am | All Migrants & Refugees | ||
| Tuesday | 4th | 9.15am
7.00pm |
Gordon Lamb
Novena |
||
| Wednesday | 5th | 9.15am | Rels/Fnds Fitzpatrick & Gillespie Families | ||
| Thursday | 6th | 7.30am | Ints Ted & Pat Bevan | ||
| Friday | 7th | 9.15am | Norah McCormick B.Day Memorial RIP | ||
| The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 8th | ||||
| 2nd Sunday of Advent
Cycle C |
9th | 5.00pm
9.30am 3-4pm 7.30pm |
Intentions Fr Frank Rice Annv of Ordination
St John’s Parishioners Holy Hour NO PRAYER MEETING |
||
| Confessions | 10.30am -11.15am | ||||
| Morning Prayer | 15 minutes before daily Masses | ||||
Sunday is a Day of Special Prayer for Migrants and Refugees
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £709.87p
Clergy Education and Training Fund £300.09p
Thank you for your continued generosity.
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your intentions or someone else’s intentions or for your deceased relatives and friends etc during Advent or Christmas season, please fill in one of the Mass Offertory envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it and hand it to
Fr Bernard nor put it through the presbytery letterbox.
Lately Dead: Your prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of Elizabeth Bridge who has died recently. Latterly a parishioner at St Luke’s,
Fr Paschal will conduct her Funeral Service here at St John’s on Thursday 13th December at 11.30am. May she and all the faithful departed rest in peace.
St John’s SVP is now back, up and running, doing visits around the parish and meeting regularly on Thursday evenings at 6.30pm in the Day Chapel. If anyone would like a visit from the SVP, suggest someone who would benefit from a visit from the SVP, or would like to join the group, please let us know.
Scripture Group: Following Jesus…Its Joy, Challenge and Fruitfulness. The final talk will take place on Thursday
6th December, in the Day Chapel here at St John’s. This is an excellent preparation for Advent and Christmas.
Advent at St John’s:
Each Sunday in Advent…. Holy Hour in Church from 3-4pm
School Advent Masses in Church Tuesday 4th December at 9.15am
LPA Service of Reconciliation with individual confession will be held at Christ the King on Thursday 13th December at 7pm. All welcome.
Fr Bernard will be in Church next Saturday and each Saturday during Advent from 10.30am to 11.15am; an opportunity for confession, prayer, for a chat.
BOST Fanfare for Christmas: An evening of Festive Music, featuring well-loved and traditional favourites and exciting new modern Christmas music is being held on Tuesday 11th December at 7.30pm at St Anne’s Church. Tickets are available after weekend Masses here at St John’s, and also from St Anne’s Presbytery during the week.
Adoremus revisited: Come, watch and listen (re-listen) to Bishop Barron’s talk on the Mass recorded in the Echo Arena Liverpool on Saturday 8th September and being shown at St Anne’s Parish Centre, Highfield Road, Rock Ferry next Saturday, 8th December. Registration and refreshments at 9.15am. Talk at 9.45am followed by a discussion then Adoration in St Anne’s Church, beginning at 11.45am and concluding with Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception at 12.15pm. Further information and to register please contact Helen Jones at the Curial Offices on 0151 652 9855 or email Helen.jones@dioceseofshrewsbury.org
3Ls Christmas Concert will be held here at St John’s on Wednesday, 12th December at 10.30am lasting about one hour. Tickets are £3 which includes entrance, free raffle, refreshments and a donation to St John’s Church. Tickets are available from Norah Martin and you can also pay at the door. All welcome.
THE BIG CARD will be at the back of church from next Saturday
8th December. Please write your Christmas message at a suggested minimum donation of £1. All proceeds will go towards the work of The Ark. Please support this very good cause and thank you for your support over the years.
Scout Stamps will be on sale AFTER MASS over the next two weekends
Saturday 1st & 8th December
Sunday 9th December
The price is 30p. Margaret McClure can also collect post as she will be working in the sorting office.
Christmas Masses at St John’s (as last year)
Christmas Eve: Mass of the Nativity begins at 7.30pm
Christmas Day: Mass is at 9.30am
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. 25th November, 2018. Cycle B
FAITH IN FOCUS: KINGDOM OF TRUTH
When Pontius Pilate asked whether Jesus was a king, he replied by saying that he was born to be king, that his kingdom was about witnessing to the truth and that those who are on the side of truth listen to his voice. If we are to be citizens of this kingdom of truth then we have three responsibilities.
First, we must know the truth. The truth for Christians is that Jesus is the Son of God. He is a historical person, not simply some sort of philosophy or designer lifestyle. He was sent by the Father to reveal to the world the sort of God we have and what God expects of us. Jesus teaches us the truth about how to be fully human, how to live life to the full in the way that God intends for our happiness. And Jesus makes promises on the Father’s behalf for those who sincerely try to follow him, led by the Spirit of Truth. The truth is that we will never be abandoned or left to our own devices, that God cares about us and watches over us constantly.
Secondly, we must walk in the truth. Knowing the truth is not enough. We are called to live it. Living the truth means being faithful to what God asks of us in Jesus. It means living for other people rather than working for our own comfort. It means being called on to make sacrifices for something that is greater than our own present cosiness. A citizen of the kingdom of truth is a civil servant, someone whose life is devoted to enhancing other people’s life.
Thirdly, we must protect the truth. Just as a worldly kingdom strives to safeguard its own values and standards, so must we do all in our power to protect and proclaim the principles of the kingdom of truth. This means being vigilant and observant of any attempt to distort human dignity in any shape or form. We have a Christian duty to defend the shared ideals of God’s kingdom.
By doing this we will be faithful to our citizenship but it will be a faithfulness that has its cost. For the goals of the kingdom are not those shared by most of our society or indeed our world. But we will be sharing in the Spirit’s work of building a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.
The last Sunday in the liturgical year is designated as the Festival of Christ the King or the Reign of Christ. This is not an ancient festival like Easter or Christmas. In fact, it is less than a century old. It was first called by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Europe was in chaos. Inflation was rampant, and colonialism was at its worst. The seeds of evil that were to produce the terror of the Holocaust and World War II were being planted. Against all this chaos and evil, the Pope established the Festival of Christ the King to declare that Jesus Christ is king. He is the goal of all human history, the joy of all who hear, and the fulfilment of our aspirations. (Wiley Stephens)
The Diocese has a vacancy for a Diocesan Mission Catechist to assist with the organisation and provision of the formation of those working in all areas of parish and adult catechesis throughout the Diocese. This is a permanent job and based at the Curial Offices in Birkenhead. For more information please contact http/wwwdioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies
Mayor’s Traditional Christmas Tea Dance – 5 December 2018 The Mayor of Wirral’s Christmas Tea Dance is set to get the festive season off to a glittering start on Wednesday, 5th December (1.30 – 4 pm) at Wallasey Town Hall. The annual dance is taking place in aid of the Mayor of Wirral’s charity appeal with all money from ticket sales going to benefit Wirral’s RNLI Lifeboat Stations and Wirral’s Forrester’s Horn Group of the Riding for the Disabled Association. Tickets cost £5 and are available from the Mayor’s Office on 691 8527.
My name is Cheryl Thomson and I am the manager of British Red Cross, 44 Bebington Road, New Ferry CH62 5BH I am currently contacting local churches and community groups to see if any of their members would be interested in volunteering with us or would merely like more information about what we can offer in terms of volunteering, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will help in any way I can. Please contact me on 0151 644 1997. Thank you
Thank you for your very kind donation of 34.65 kg of food. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box
by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
| Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe | 25th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Ints Marshall Family
St John’s Parishioners Prayer Meeting |
||
| Monday | 26th | 9.15am | Ints Barbara Forshaw | ||
| Tuesday | 27th | 9.15am | Rels/Fnds Rooney Family | ||
| Wednesday | 28th | 9.15am | Patricia Jones RIP | ||
| Thursday | 29th | 7.30am | Ints Tony Hyland | ||
| Friday | 30th | 9.15am | Rels/Fnds Shore Family | ||
| Saturday | 1st | ||||
| 1st Sunday of Advent
Cycle C |
2nd | 5.00pm
9.30am 3-4pm 7.30pm |
John & Joan Peters RIP
St John’s Parishioners Holy Hour Prayer Meeting |
||
| Confessions | 10.30am -11.15am | ||||
| Morning Prayer | 15 minutes before daily Masses | ||||
Today’s Feast of Christ the King is also National Youth Sunday. Please keep all our Young People in your daily prayers.
Next Saturday…. on the threshold of Advent there will be a Day of Special Prayer here at St John’s from 9.30am until 5pm Mass, for the Church, for the world, for our parish/local community and for all our own intentions. Please add your name to the “sign up” sheets on the table at the back of Church where you will also find an outline programme for the Day.
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £578.42p. Thank you for your continued generosity.
Tea & Coffee after Sunday 9.30am Mass every week in the Parish Centre. Why not stay a while and meet up with friends old and new.
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your intentions or someone else’s intentions or for your deceased relatives and friends etc during Advent or Christmas season, please fill in one of the Mass Offering envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it and hand it to Fr Bernard or put it through the presbytery letterbox.
Traidcraft goods will be on sale THIS weekend
24th/25th November. Please take a few minutes to browse for ideas for gifts and cards. There will also be Christmas Cards on sale.
First Sacrament Enrolment Mass: This Sunday at 9.30am Mass the children from St John’s School, who are preparing for their First Forgiveness and First Holy Communion, will be officially enrolled in the preparation programme and receive their enrolment medal.
Confirmation 2018: CONGRATULATIONS to those 50m plus young people from our parish and neighbouring parishes who were confirmed on Friday evening at St Anne’s and thank you to their parents, sponsors and catechists for supporting them on this important step on their faith journey.
Scripture Group: Following Jesus…Its Joy, Challenge and Fruitfulness. Six interesting Thursday evenings from 8th November to
6th December meeting in the Day Chapel here at
St John’s. An excellent preparation for Advent and Christmas. Contact David Williams 07711581893 or Fr Bernard.
A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who has responded to the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal. We would be most grateful if all completed boxes are returned to church THIS WEEKEND 24th/25th November. Many children will receive the joy of Christmas as a result of your generosity.
Advent at St John’s:
Beginning next Sunday….
Holy Hour in Church from 3-4pm
School Advent Masses in Church Tuesday 4th December at 9.15am
LPA Service of Reconciliation with individual confession will be held at Christ the King on Thursday 13th December at 7pm. All welcome.
Fr Bernard will be in Church next Saturday and each Saturday during Advent from 10.30am to 11.15am; an opportunity for confession, prayer, for a chat.
BOST Fanfare for Christmas: An evening of Festive Music, featuring well-loved and traditional favourites and exciting new modern Christmas music is being held on Tuesday
11th December at 7.30pm at St Anne’s Church. Tickets are available after weekend Masses here at
St John’s, and also from St Anne’s Presbytery during the week.
3Ls Christmas Concert will be held here at St John’s on Wednesday, 12th December at 10.30am lasting about one hour. Tickets are £3 which includes entrance, free raffle, refreshments and a donation to St John’s Church. Tickets are available from Norah Martin and you can also pay at the door. All welcome.
Scout Stamps will be on sale ONLY AFTER SATURDAY EVENING MASS over the next three weekends: 24th November; 1st & 8th December. The price will be 30p. Margaret McClure can also collect post as she will be working in the sorting office.
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org
Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, 18th November, 2018. Cycle B
FAITH IN FOCUS: THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE
You don’t hear much about hell these days. Many preachers prefer to stay away from talking about it, opting instead to concentrate on the more positive side of our lives in Christ. And on one level this is perfectly good. No one wants to hear fire and brimstone sermons intended to frighten people into being Christians. And despite At Tuesday’s 9.15am Mass reports to the contrary, the bible is not full of pages detailing dire threats to those who don’t behave. It’s full of scenes that seek to depict and reveal the love and tender concern of our God.
For God promises a life of eternal bliss to those who trust in his promises. But he doesn’t force himself on anyone. He allows each of us the right to choose. We can accept his way of life for us or we can decide to reject it in favour of some other way of living that we decide is more convenient.
So when people are confronted with the idea of hell they seek to neutralise it. If God is such a loving person, they say, then he will never “send” anyone there. He’ll just embrace everyone in one great act of forgiveness and friendship. So there’s no need to be concerned with how we behave here on earth since God will take care of things when we eventually die.
This is very comforting. But it’s not what the bible says and it ignores what Christ teaches his disciples on many occasions. Jesus makes it very clear that God accepts the choices we make either for him or against him, and that we must learn to live with them. Eternally.
If God allowed us to do whatever we liked without consequence and simply overrode our decisions then we would be nothing more than pawns in a grotesque game of divine chess. We would be like robots, thinking that our choices were important when all the while we were simply acting in a play whose ending we cannot shape. Our free-will and our liberty would have been compromised.
But God has more respect for us than this. He lets us make our free choices. And he tells us that they matter. Eternally.
The Diocese has a vacancy for a Diocesan Mission Catechist to assist with the organisation and provision of the formation of those working in all areas of parish and adult catechesis throughout the Diocese. This is a permanent job and based at the Curial Offices in Birkenhead. For more information please contact http/wwwdioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies
Mayor’s Traditional Christmas Tea Dance – 5 December 2018 The Mayor of Wirral’s Christmas Tea Dance is set to get the festive season off to a glittering start on Wednesday, 5th December (1.30 – 4 pm) at Wallasey Town Hall. The annual dance is taking place in aid of the Mayor of Wirral’s charity appeal with all money from ticket sales going to benefit Wirral’s RNLI Lifeboat Stations and Wirral’s Forrester’s Horn Group of the Riding for the Disabled Association. Tickets cost £5 and are available from the Mayor’s Office on 691 8527.
My name is Cheryl Thomson and I am the manager of British Red Cross, 44 Bebington Road, New Ferry CH62 5BH. I am currently contacting local churches and community groups to see if any of their members would be interested in volunteering with us or would merely like more information about what we can offer in terms of volunteering, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me and I will help in any way I can. Please contact me on 0151 644 1997. Thank you
Thank you for your very kind donation of 34.65 kg of food. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Traidcraft goods will be on sale NEXT weekend
24th/25th November. Please take a few minutes to browse for ideas for gifts and cards. There will also be Christmas Cards on sale.
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box
by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
| 33rd Sunday in Ord Time Cycle B | 18th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Ints Sarson Family
Intentions Poor & Needy Prayer Meeting |
||
| Monday | 19th | 9.15am | No Mass or Service | ||
| Tuesday | 20th | 9.15am | Joe Moore Annv. | ||
| Wednesday | 21st | 9.15am | No Mass or Service | ||
| Thursday | 22nd | 7.30am | Deceased Clergy | ||
| Friday | 23rd | 9.15am | Ben Brannon RIP | ||
| Saturday | 24th | ||||
| Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe | 25th | 5.00pm
9.30am 7.30pm |
Ints Marshall Family
St John’s Parishioners Prayer Meeting |
||
| Confessions | 10.30am -11.15am | ||||
| Morning Prayer | 15 minutes before daily Masses | ||||
Sunday is World Day of Prayer for the Poor
There is no Mass or Service on Monday or Wednesday this week. On Monday Fr Bernard is celebrating the Annual Memorial Mass for the Wirral Knights of St Columba at St Anne’s at 9.30am. All our most welcome. On Wednesday Fr Bernard is celebrating Mass at St John Plessington Catholic College. At Tuesday’s 9.15am Mass here at St John’s in the main Church we will welcome Year 1 classes from our Infant School. Again all parents, grandparent and parishioners are most welcome.
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £584.48p. Thank you for your continued generosity.
CLERGY EDUCATION & TRAINING FUND – SPECIAL COLLECTION:
Today the annual Collection for the Clergy Education & Training Fund is being held. Special Envelopes are available for you to use. If you use weekly Offertory Envelopes, please can I ask that you write in your envelope number. If you do not have this, or you give to your Parish by means of a Standing Order, write in your name and full address (including postcode). It will then be possible to claim Gift Aid on your donation if you have joined the Gift Aid scheme.
A Leaflet about the Fund is also available which explains how to make a regular donation to the Fund by Standing Order, or how you can make your donation by Cheque. It also explains how to take advantage of Gift Aid for your donations to the Fund. If you prefer, you can donate Online via Paypal to the Fund at www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/clergy-education-and-training-fund, where you can also take advantage of Gift Aid. On the training and formation of Priests, the future of our Diocese so much depends, and I would ask that you give your support in whatever way is possible.
With every good wish,
Yours sincerely in Christ +Mark Bishop of Shrewsbury
Confirmation 2018: This year’s LPA Confirmation Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Mark at St Anne’s, Rock Ferry NEXT Friday 23rd November at 7.pm. Please keep all the candidates (50-60 of them) their sponsors, parents and catechists in your prayers this week.
Scripture Group: Following Jesus…Its Joy, Challenge and Fruitfulness. Six interesting Thursday evenings from 8th November to 6th December meeting in the Day Chapel here at St John’s. An excellent preparation for Advent and Christmas. Contact David Williams 07711581893 or
Fr Bernard.
St John’s Catholic Pre-School September 2019 Admission:
OPEN EVENING on Tuesday 13th November, 2019
4.00-5.30pm. Children who are 3 years of age by
31st August 2019 are invited to apply for a place at our Pre-School. Parents are welcome to come along to see our setting and complete an application form. Any queries, please contact the setting – 0151 645 5291 Option 2 for
Pre School.
PLEASE NOTE: The music practice has been re-arranged for Wednesday 21st November, 7.30pm in the Day Chapel, when we will be looking at music for Advent and Christmas. These are not CHOIR practices but for ANYONE who enjoys SINGING. All welcome.
A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who has responded to the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal. We would be most grateful if all completed boxes are returned to church no later than NEXT WEEKEND 24th/25th November. Many children will receive the joy of Christmas as a result of your generosity.
BOST Fanfare for Christmas:
An evening of Festive Music, featuring well-loved and traditional favourites and exciting new modern Christmas music on Tuesday 11th December at 7.30pm at St Anne’s Church. Tickets available after weekend Masses here at St John’s and also from St Anne’s Presbytery during the week.
WIRRAL KSC ANNUAL MEMORIAL MASS’’ at St. Anne’s Rock Ferry on Monday 19th November at 9.30am. All are welcome to join us and the Widows & Friends of deceased Brothers, Tea & Biscuits after Mass.
Scout Stamps will be on sale ONLY AFTER SATURDAY EVENING MASS over the next four weekends: 17th & 24th November; 1st & 8th December. The price will be 30p. Margaret McClure can also collect post as she will be working in the sorting office.
The Parish Pastoral Team meets roughly on a monthly basis…. its minutes are on the designated notice board on the left hand side of the Church. The Pastoral Team’s next meeting is this Wednesday 21st November at 7.30pm in the presbytery. If you have any suggestions/ideas for the team to consider please place them in the suggestions box on the table at the back of Church.
Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, 11th November, 2018. Cycle B REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
10/11/2018
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Bernard Forshaw Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email: stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites: www.stjohnevang.co.uk www.lpa24.org
Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, 11th November, 2018. Cycle B
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
Our God our Heavenly Father,
look mercifully upon the unrest in our world
and draw all people to yourself and one another
in the sure bond of peace.
We give you ready thanks
for the memory of all those men and women
who laid down their lives
in the service of their country.
As we hallow their memory
we bless you for their courage and devotion even unto death.
In your mercy
send your peace into the hearts of all people
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer by Denis McBride C.Ss.R.
Thank you for your very kind donation of 34.65 kg of food. Please continue to give generously to the Foodbank. The need is as great as ever. Please check the notice board at the back of Church for most needed items for the ITEMS URGENTLY NEEDED: Tinned fish and/or meat, tinned fruit, tinned custard, pasta sauce, long grain rice, instant mash, deodorant, washing powder tablets
Please take a copy of the Wednesday Word. It is a helpful reflection on next Sunday’s readings.
If you have a notice for the bulletin please email it to the parish email address or put it through the presbytery letter box by 12 noon on Thursdays. Many thanks.
FAITH IN FOCUS: SMALL CHANGE?
When the man at the checkout apologised to the woman for giving her so many coins in her change the woman said “No, that’s fine. I need some small change for Church tomorrow.” The supermarket cashier looked surprised but the woman didn’t notice.
In the Temple the coin boxes were made in the shape of a horn or trumpet. People queued up and then threw their coins in. You could tell what they gave by the sound that the noise made. The two coins that the widow put in were called “lepta” which means “thin”. They were the smallest denomination of currency. But they were her last.
Jesus doesn’t condemn the rich people who put in more money than the widow, but he does praise her for her wholehearted generosity. For there is one important difference between them: the widow didn’t give the leftover money she had; she gave all that she had. The rich people could afford to put in more but she couldn’t. She gave to God all that she had and then simply trusted that God wouldn’t let her down and would take care of her (like the widow in today’s first reading from the Book of Kings).
This gospel is not intended to accuse us of being stingy with our donations to the Church collection (though that might be true too!). Rather it serves to point out the difference between “what” we give and “how” we give it. The widow made her donation not out of guilt or fear but because she was in love with God. Nothing of what she had was to be held back from God.
Anyone can serve God from their surplus. What counts, though, is serving God when it means making a sacrifice. And this applies to all areas of our religious practice, not just money. Are we prepared, like the widow, to place ourselves entirely in the hands of God or do we need some form of safety net, just in case? Is the practice of our faith unconditional or do we hold back? In fact, is it possible to serve God and yet keep a nest-egg held in reserve? Apparently not, says Jesus. And so he was unconcerned by the smallness of the widow’s mite but mightily impressed by the way she gave it.
|
32nd Sunday in Ord Time Cycle B |
11th |
5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm |
Ints Margo Sarson Theresa McLean B.day RIP Prayer Meeting |
||
|
Monday |
12th |
9.15am |
Service of Word & Communion |
||
|
Tuesday |
13th |
9.15am |
Ints Elaine Mullins |
||
|
Wednesday |
14th |
9.15am |
Rels/Fnds Moore & Doyle Fams |
||
|
Thursday |
15th |
7.30am |
Seamus & Colette Reavey RIP |
||
|
Friday |
16th |
9.15am |
Rels/Fnds McLoughlin Family |
||
|
Saturday |
17th |
10.00am |
Deceased Carmelites |
||
|
33rd Sunday in Ord Time Cycle B |
18th |
5.00pm 9.30am 7.30pm |
Ints Sarson Family Intentions Poor & Needy Prayer Meeting |
||
|
Confessions |
10.30am -11.15am |
||||
|
Morning Prayer |
15 minutes before daily Masses |
||||
Remembrance Sunday, we will remember all those who have died in War and Conflict on the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice. British Legion Poppies are available on the table at the back of Church.
St John’s School Remembrance Mass: Tuesday’s 9.15am Mass will be held in the main church and will be led by the Year 5 &6 children from St John’s School. The theme of the Mass will be Remembrance and the Mass will be offered for the intentions of Head teacher Mrs. Elaine Mullins who remains in a Liverpool hospital. All parents, grandparents and parishioners are welcome. Many thanks to Teresa Young and Co who will provide the tea/coffee and biscuits afterwards at the back of Church.
Your prayers are requested for the repose of the soul of Peter Fearon who lived for many years in
St John’s Parish before he moved to Eastham. Peter died recently and his Funeral Mass is at Christ the King Bromborough on Wednesday 28th November at 9.15am. May he Rest in Peace.
Money Matters: Last weekend’s Offertory collection amounted to £569.96p. Thank you for your continued generosity.
THANKYOU. The Irish afternoon tea organised by the HCPT held on Sunday 4th November at St Anne’s was a great success and raised over £3,000. This will enable us to take sick and vulnerable children to Lourdes at Easter. With grateful thanks
Erin McCulloch.
Scripture Group: Following Jesus…Its Joy, Challenge and Fruitfulness. Six interesting Thursday evenings from 8th November to 6th December meeting in the Day Chapel here at St John’s. An excellent preparation for Advent and Christmas. Contact David Williams 07711581893 or
Fr Bernard.
Confirmation 2018: This year’s LPA Confirmation Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Mark at St Anne’s, Rock Ferry on Friday 23rd November at 7.pm. Please keep all the candidates (50-60 of them) their sponsors, parents and catechists in your prayers this week. It is essential that candidates and sponsors attend the rehearsal next Friday night 16th November at 7pm in St Anne’s Church.
St John’s Catholic Pre-School September 2019 Admission: OPEN EVENING on Tuesday 13th November, 2019
4.00-5.30pm. Children who are 3 years of age by 31st August 2019 are invited to apply for a place at our Pre-School. Parents are welcome to come along to see our setting and complete an application form. Any queries, please contact the setting – 0151 645 5291 Option 2 for
Pre School.
PLEASE NOTE: The music practice has been re-arranged for Wednesday 21st November, 7.30pm in the Day Chapel, when we will be looking at music for Advent and Christmas. These are not CHOIR practices but for ANYONE who enjoys SINGING. All welcome.
Missing CD Disc Sometime in October the CD player in church was removed from its table for some other use, and put back later. At the same time the CD ‘His Healing Love’, which may have been in the player, has disappeared, though the case is still on the table. Will whoever is responsible please return the CD anonymously as soon as possible. Thank you.
BOST Fanfare for Christmas:
An evening of Festive Music, featuring well-loved and traditional favourites and exciting new modern Christmas music on Tuesday 11th December at 7.30pm at St Anne’s Church. Tickets available after weekend Masses here at St John’s and also from St Anne’s Presbytery during the week.
The Diocese has a vacancy for a Diocesan Mission Catechist to assist with the organisation and provision of the formation of those working in all areas of parish and adult catechesis throughout the Diocese. This is a permanent job and based at the Curial Offices in Birkenhead. For more information please contact http/wwwdioceseofshrewsbury.org/about-us/curia/vacancies
CLERGY EDUCATION & TRAINING FUND – SPECIAL COLLECTION
NEXT weekend the annual Collection for the Clergy Education & Training Fund will be held. On the training and formation of Priests, the future of our Diocese so much depends. Special Envelopes are available for you to use. A Leaflet about the Fund is also available which explains how to make a regular donation to the Fund by Standing Order, or how you can make your donation either Online or by Cheque. It also explains how to take advantage of Gift Aid for your donations to the Fund.
If you prefer, you can donate Online via Paypal to the Fund at www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/clergy-education-and-training-fund where you can also take advantage of Gift Aid. I ask that you give your support in whatever way is possible for the provision of the best formation for a new generation of priests.
With every good wish, Yours sincerely in Christ
+ Mark Bishop of Shrewsbury
WIRRAL KSC ANNUAL MEMORIAL MASS’’ at St. Anne’s Rock Ferry on Monday 19th November at 10am.
All are welcome to join us and the Widows & Friends of deceased Brothers, Tea & Biscuits after Mass.
