2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 16.01.2022

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS

Sun 16th Jan

8.30 am Christine Pavlou, RIP

10 am People of the Parish

12 noon Kathleen Lynch, RIP

Mon 17th Jan St Anthony, Abbot

10 am John O’Sullivan, RIP

Tues 18th Jan Feria

10 am Christine Pavlou, RIP

Weds 19th Jan NO MASS

Thurs 20th Jan Feria

10 am Peter Carr, RIP

Fri 21st Jan St Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

10 am Pierce McCormack, RIP

Sat 22nd Jan 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

5 pm Bastam Pillai Rayappu, RIP

10am – 11am; 4:30pm – 5pm: Confessions and Exposition

Your Prayers:

Let us keep in our prayers: Frank Kilbride, Kathleen Lancaster, John O’Shea, Rekha, Bina, Gale Yates, Jose Luis Pérez, Alice, Michael O Boy, Lilian Murphy, Karina McKiernan and Izabela Lissowska - all unwell at this time. Please add the Dixon family to your intentions. We also pray for Hugh Daniel Doherty,Fr Dominic Byrne, Peter Sartori, Arthur Palmer, Noel Ryan, Donato Merola, Aurora Lobo–Buckland, Larry Tuohy, Elizabeth O’Sullivan, Monica Thomson, Christine Pavlou, Tom Lohan, Dennis Lennane, Vincenzo Gagliardi, Verna Duffy, Susan Wren and Edward Doran who have all died recently. May they Rest in Peace.

Peace Sunday

This Sunday is Peace Sunday with ' Education, work and dialogue between generations: tools for building lasting peace' being the theme announced for World peace day. See www.paxchristi.org.uk

Bishop John Sherrington

This Sunday we welcome Bishop John Sherrington who will be celebrating the 10am Mass. There will be a chance to meet Bishop John in the hall after Mass.

Confirmations at St Mary’s:

Bishop John will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on 18 of our young adults at the 5pm Mass on Saturday 12th February. If this is your normal Sunday Mass, you may like to choose another on the weekend of the 12th/13th February. Let us keep the confirmation candidates, their families, their sponsors and their catechists in our prayers over the next month.

Offertory Collection

Fr Peter writes: “The ordinary offertory collection in church for week ending 9th January £ 730.32. All contributions, every penny, is greatly received and I am very grateful for your continued support at this difficult time. Please do not forget, that arranging a standing order is the easiest way to support St Mary’s.

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School N12 - Applications for Nursery

Applications are invited for the Nursery for the Academic Year starting September 2022. This is for children born between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020. The deadline to return this to the school office is 31st January 2022. Please contact the office or visit the school website for an application pack.

Nursery Application Forms:

Fr Peter writes: “If your child needs their Catholic Certificates of Practice” stamped and signed, please attend one of the Sunday Masses with your child, bringing their nursery or primary school application forms. Please make sure you have completed address and dates of birth before coming to see me.”

Save the Date!

On Sunday 15th May 2022, Cardinal Vincent Nichols is coming to St Mary’s to celebrate a special Mass in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the blessing of the church foundation stone. Please reserve the date in your diary.

Volunteering…

Fr Peter writes: “Nothing happens at St Mary’s without the support and hard work of volunteers. If you have a skill (a singer, a musician, have an eye for decoration etc) please let me know and I can add you to the list of wonderful people who provide St Mary’s with terrific practical support.

With the advent of Wall repairs I am looking for a parishioner who has experience completing and submitting grant applications.

Holocaust Memorial Day – Sunday 23rd January

A commemorative service will take place at the Rickett Quadrangle, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon NW4 4BT on Sunday 23rd January 2022 at 3 pm. If you wish to attend, please be seated by 2.45 pm. This service commemorates the victims of genocide. Free entry. Nearest tube is Hendon Central, buses 143,113,83,183, 186 and 326. Disabled parking facilities and access. For more information call 0208 359 2652, e mail mayor@barnet.gov.uk or visit www.barnet..gov.uk/holocaust

The Synodal Process:

Fr Peter writes: “Thank you to those who have returned completed questionnaires or emailed their answers. This weekend is the closing date to return your completed answer sheets or to email me. I and another volunteer will collate the answers and submit them to the Diocese before the end of January.”

The return of Lectio Divina:

Zoomed “Lectio Divina” will return on Monday 31st January from 7:30pm – 8:30pm. “Lectio” involves reading, reflecting and discussing the gospel passage used each Sunday at Mass. Please email Fr Peter if you want to be part of the “Lectio Team” and take part in the zoom.

Introducing the Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions for 2022:

For the first month of 2022, Pope Francis has asked Catholics to pray for those facing religious discrimination and persecution. This can be seen in a video appeal released Jan. 4, https://twitter.com/i/status/1478380195480363008

Did you know….

Bishops wear certain regalia which are distinctive of the Order of Bishop: the pectoral cross, ring, mitre, and crozier (staff).

The pectoral cross (crux pectoralis) is worn by the Holy Father, cardinals, bishops, and abbots. The word pectoral derives from the Latin pectus, meaning “a breast." Traditionally when putting on the pectoral cross the bishop says, "munire me digneris," asking the Lord for strength and protection against all evil and all enemies, and to be mindful of His passion and cross.

Bishops also wear a ring. The ring, like a wedding band, symbolizes that the bishop is "wedded" to his diocese.

The other regalia - the mitre and crozier - are worn for liturgical functions. The mitre is a "headdress." The word mitre derives from the Greek mitra, which signifies a headband or diadem. In the Old Testament, the High Priest and other priests wore a distinctive garb which included a mitre. Exactly when the Church adopted the mitre as part of the vesture of bishops is hard to pinpoint. One tradition holds that the mitre's usage dates to the time of the apostles; other traditions place its first usage about the eighth or ninth centuries. Of course artists have taken the liberty to depict the apostles and the earliest saints who were bishops as wearing mitres. The first written mention of the mitre is in a bull issued by Pope Leo IX in the year 1049, when he granted Bishop Eberhard of Trier "the Roman mitre" as a sign of his authority and of the primacy of the Diocese of Trier. By 1100, a bishop customarily wore a mitre.

The crozier, or officially the pastoral staff (baculus pastoralis), symbolizes the role of bishop as the Good Shepherd. In the Gospel of St. John (10:1-21), our Lord identified Himself as the Good Shepherd. The word translated as “good" in the original Greek text is kalos, which also means "model." Our Lord is the model shepherd for the apostles and their successors, the bishops, who are appointed as shepherds. The bishop, like a good shepherd, must lead his faithful flock along the path of salvation, disciplining and protecting them as needed. The shepherd's staff is therefore a most appropriate symbol for the office of bishop.

These different regalia all give a certain distinction to the Order of Bishop. They also inspire respect for the office and its authority.

Blessings, Fr Peter.