Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) 11.12.2022

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS

Sun 11th Dec​​

​8.30 am​​​ Bernadette McDonnell, get well intentions

​10 am   Nellie Cagney, RIP

12 noon  ​​A private intention, thanksgiving

Mon 12th Dec         ​Advent Feria

10 am   Sharon and Shania Stalin, birthday intentions

Tues 13th Dec    St Lucy, Virgin and Martyr​

10am    Una Carmody and Bridget Noone, RIP

Weds 14th Dec          ​

NO MASS

Thurs 15th Dec        ​Advent Feria

10am​ People of the Parish

​Fri 16th Dec​   Advent Feria

10 am      Patrick Giblin, anniversary

Sat 17th Dec     4th Sunday of Advent

5 pm   Susan Faughnan, anniversary

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

Your Prayers:

Let us keep in our prayers: Christna Cahill, Eric Nicholas Darwent,  Therese Kemp,  John O’Shea, Rekha, Bina, Jose Luis Pérez, Alice, Lilian Murphy, Karina McKiernan, Izabela Lissowska and Florida Regina Karawgodage – all unwell at this time.

We also pray for:: Gino Tomei, James Meally, Peter Sartori, Noel Ryan, Donato Merola, Aurora Lobo–Buckland, Christine Pavlou, Tom Lohan, Siobhan Lynch, Dennis Lennane, Susan Wren, Geraldine Day, Catherine Kelly, Josephine Okuyiga, Betty Murray, Jane Ikwueke, Gail Yates,Ronald Kinsella, Maureen O Sullivan, Patrick Reilly, Ann Gourdarznia, Nina Cole, Lorenzo Marcantuono, Pat McMahon, Michael Walsh Esther Ampomah Arhin, Peter McHugh, Marguerite Kyunga, Kathleen Molloy and Maria Pini, whose anniversaries occur at this time or have died recently. May they Rest in Peace.

Offertory:

The offertory collection for week ending 4th December - £775.43.  Many thanks. Please do not forget, that arranging a standing order is the easiest way to support St Mary’s.

Timetable of Christmas Masses at St Mary’s.

There is an additional newsletter in church detailing times of Masses over the Christmas Season. Please take note that on Christmas Day there will be two Masses; 8:30am and 11am.

Congratulations!

Well done to everyone who won prizes at the Christmas Raffle. Thank you to everyone who supported the event.

Do you want a Good Excuse to avoid the World Cup Final?

If you have grown tired of World Cup football, why not come to Deacon Patrick Van Der Vorst talk on art and the Eucharist at 7:00pm on Sunday 18th December in the parish centre. Deacon Patrick spent a summer at St Mary’s last year and is editor of the hugely successful webpage “Christian art”.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament:

There is a unique chance to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament every Saturday morning between 10am-11am (and go to confession) and during weekdays (except Wednesday) from 9:30am to 10am (just before Mass).

CARITAS Impact Film

Want to know what Caritas has been up to in the past 10 years? Watch these beautiful films which can be uploaded when you click on the link: https://youtu.be/Vgxvakd-8Ug

A St Mary’s Pilgrimage to Lourdes 2023

Fr Peter writes: “I am looking into planning a 5-day, 4-night weekday full board pilgrimage to Lourdes departing 24th April, returning 28th April for approximately £609 per parishioner and I need a minimum of 20 parishioners! The hotel on offer is 3 star and flights are from Stansted to Lourdes airport (making your own way to Stansted). I know Lourdes very well, can arrange Masses and tours to suit a 4-day trip. I have put a sign-up sheet at the back of the church for those who would like to come.

Fr Peter needs your Help.

Fr Peter writes: “I am so very grateful to everyone who volunteers at St Mary’s. Many of you offer time and assistance. I remember last year asking for parishioners to sit on a building committee to help look after the fabric and fittings of the church compound. Sadly, I never had time to organise anything. Lately St Mary’s hasbeen inundated with repairs and I would now really value a committee of men and women who have building or maintenance knowledge to give me advice. If you can help, either email or phone or come up to me and I will sort out a building committee meeting. Many thanks.

Calling all Altar Servers – and those who would like to learn.

Please sign the list at the back of the Church if you are able to serve over Christmas. Deacon Dom will arrange a practice for the Christmas Eve celebrations. For those who would like to be an altar server (you need to have made your First Holy Communion) please sign the alternative list and Deacon Dom will teach you. Adult parishioners can also sign up to be servers!  

St Mary’s Special Commemorative Calendars

The special St Mary’s colanders celebrating 125 years of the parish will be available to collect or buy (we printed some extra copies) this weekend. Cost per calendar is £7:50.

Have you any Old Foreign Coins?

For Advent, St Mary’s has gone into partnership with “Mary’s Meals” in its endeavours to serve nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries.” Marys Meals” is already feeding more than two million children every school day. The promise of a good meal attracts hungry children into classrooms, giving them the energy to learn. An inexpensive way to support “Mary’s Meals” during Advent, is to search out any old foreign coins or notes and put them into an envelope and drop them through the presbytery letter box. The charity has an agreement with banks to turn them into “cash” ….and pay for meals.  Many thanksto all those posting notes and coins through the presbytery!

“Enlarge the space of your tent” (Isaiah 54:2)

The Synodal Process 2021 - 2024

The Agency for Evangelization are pleased to offer the Working Document Summary, available for downloading which consist of two documents and can be found on: https://rcdow.org.uk/synod/.

The Diocesan Discernment Group has a series of meetings in December in which they will be discerning the 2-3-page response which Bishops are asked to make to the Working Document for the Continental Stage.  This group - made up of lay men and women, religious, a deacon, two priests and a bishop – discerned the Diocesan Synthesis which was presented in the Cathedral last February and was forwarded by our Bishops as the Diocese’s contribution to the National Synthesis.  The Working Document for the Continental Stage is a Global Synthesis gleaned from 112 such National Syntheses.

The Diocesan Discernment Group will be considering the following questions posed by the Vatican Synod Office at #106 of the Working Document for the Continental Stage:

1) “After having read and prayed with the DCS, which intuitions resonate most strongly with the lived experiences and realities of the Church in your continent? Which experiences are new, or illuminating to you?”

2) “After having read and prayed with the DCS, what substantial tensions or divergences emerge as particularly important in your continent’s perspective? Consequently, what are the questions or issues that should be addressed and considered in the next steps of the process?”

3) “Looking at what emerges from the previous two questions, what are the priorities, recurring themes and calls to action that can be shared with other local Churches around the world and discussed during the First Session of the Synodal Assembly in October 2023?”

Parishes and other groups too may wish to come together in synodal conversation to consider the Working Document for the Continental Stage.  They are invited to consider the three questions (above) posed by the document; prepare a synthesis of this experience; and submit this to the Agency for Evangelization by 9thJanuary or before.  Individuals too are welcome to submit their responses in the same way. All responses can be sent to adriancullen@rcdow.org.uk.

If you would like to help co-ordinate a parish group which gives a response to the above questions – please email or see Fr Peter.