Important dates
December - Christmas Day -
December 25, 2010
Check newsletter and notices for times of Masses
March December - Christmas Day -
December 25, 2011
Check newsletter and notices for times of Masses
March December - Christmas Day -
December 25, 2012
Check newsletter and notices for times of Masses
View Full Calendar
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Thought of the Week
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5th September 2010 - 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) |
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We become like those we love and who love us. The truth of this adage is often observed in a loving couple who have spent so much time together during years of married life. They share the same values and are energised by doing things together. Each one’s uniqueness remains but there is a real sense of unity of purpose and attitude in their approach to life. There is a common thrust in all they do. The love and care of the partner is a priority in every situation, otherwise the love would have died.
To be loved and to love is an on-going experience that changes us radically, even if sometimes imperceptibly to ourselves.
Today’s gospel points out that, while following Jesus makes radical demands, it has the power to transform us. The core essential is that we put Jesus in first place, even before any legitimate affection or love. If we do so, everything will fall into place. Being loved by Jesus releases a power within us that enables us to be heroically generous and totally fulfilled in his service. The crunch factor is to allow ourselves that experience of being loved. Mistakenly, we often try to meet his somewhat frightening challenges without deepening our faith experience of his love for us.
Like the married couple, we need to spend time with him. This is what prayer is, allowing oneself to become like the one who loves you and whom you wish to love. Lovers can face any challenge together as they grow to be like each other.
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Sunday Missal: Page 686 † New Edition: Page 873
Psalm Response
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
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29th August 2010 - 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) |
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One immediate reaction to today’s gospel is to say that Jesus just could not be serious with his suggestion that instead of inviting to our celebrations friends and those who will invite us back in return, we should invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. It is just not on, we feel.
The crux is that Jesus is serious. He is condemning our exclusivity, that trait within us which causes us to exclude from our circle people who will not benefit us or who, indeed, may threaten our comfort in some way.
We exclude because we are selfish or fearful. Our selfishness causes us to grasp the good things of life for ourselves no matter what the consequences for others. Such selfishness can be so habitual that it becomes unconscious and may even be misunderstood for success. Such confusion is rampant and destructive of inner peace. Our fear prevents us trusting those who differ from us socially or economically. This fear is a paralysis that inhibits even the first step in reaching out to others and so, much good is left undone.
Jesus promises to cure both our selfishness and our fear if we want him to do so now.
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Sunday Missal: Page 683 † New Edition: Page 869
Psalm Response
In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.
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15th August 2010 - The Assumption of our Lady (Year C) |
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STEWARDSHIP: A continuation of the report on the ‘Needs’ in our parish as discussed at the Stewardship meeting at St Joseph’s in July.
We are losing our young people - After First Communion and Confirmation, our community tends to drop going to church. Not just the young people, but also their parents. We need to mind that gap! Our congregation is getting older.
We need to look after our ethnic minorities - At St Joseph’s, the number of people attending church hasn’t dropped over the past few years, but the makeup of the congregation has become multinational. We have more people from a diverse range of backgrounds. This makes it more difficult for people to socialise. We need to reach out to our parishioners from Goa, Italy, Poland and other nationalities!
Our congregation is unwilling to commit to parish activities - The response to newsletter etc requests for help are not as active and enthusiastic as desired. Given our busy lives, there is a reluctance to volunteer because of a fear of high involvement. We need more people to have a go.
Our parish leaders do not always communicate parish needs with sufficient energy and clarity - It is not enough to make requests for help in the newsletters - an extra and personal nudge is often required to get people to volunteer. Often volunteers can be happy to provide services if they know the extent of the commitment they are making.
It is not always clear what goes on in the parish and what parish initiatives actually mean, e.g. ‘Living our Faith’ meant -give the church more money! Getting involved in Stewardship is not an easy concept and can mean different things to different people. What do the Catenians do? How can I join them? What do other groups like the UCM and the SVP do?
The parish does not have enough social events so we can meet other Catholics - and when we have events they can clash with other things going on. We need more social events and a more co-ordinated parish calendar. Come to the Mill Hill Barn Dance on 25th September—tickets £12.50!
We do not look after our elderly enough - especially those who struggle to get to church. Can you ‘adopt’ an older person and give them a lift? Should we open a Day Centre, and who would run it?
These are some of the needs, not the solutions. You are the solution.
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Sunday Missal: Page 754 † New Edition: Page 955
Psalm Response
On your right stands the queen, in garments of gold.
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8th August 2010 - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) |
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STEWARDSHIP:_TALENTS & NEEDS IN OUR PARISH - A continuation of the report in last week’s newsletter on the Stewardship meeting held at St Joseph’s in July
Those attending the meeting separated into groups to discuss the talents and needs of our parish community. Some of the responses/opinions expressed are reported below (to be continued in next Sunday’s newsletter).
What are our Talents?
Although people at the meeting were a little reluctant to blow their own vuvuzelas, the talents identified by the group included - modesty, sociability, organising, catering, decorating, driving, singing, reading, teaching, languages, sport, youth-coaching. We can all do something.
What are our Needs?
To find a voice in the church for lay people - There was a little interchange about whether Stewardship could provide a voice for the laity to talk to the church. The short answer was ‘no’. The church remains a theocracy, not a democracy, and there is little opportunity for lay people to have their say.
The needs of St Joseph’s Parish are hard to establish as we are a diverse lot - We have people living in multi-million pound riverside houses and others who are lucky to live on council estates or in bedsits. How do we make a Christian community given our diversity?
We need to be friendlier - e.g. before and during Mass. One person said it took 25 years before anyone talked to them in St Joseph’s! Of course, that makes one wonder whether that was the collective democratic wish of the entire congregation, and what that person had been doing for all that time. Nevertheless, it illustrates that we are not as friendly as we could be. We need to say ‘hello’ to the person next to us and take time to chat.
The parish does not have an active Welcoming Team - We do not set about identifying and welcoming our newer Parish members.
To be continued next week.
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Sunday Missal: Page 673 † New Edition: Page 858
Psalm Response
Happy are the people the Lord has chosen as his own.
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1st August 2010 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) |
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Stewardship in St Joseph’s Parish
Fr Tom McGrath organised a meeting on the evening of July 9th for those who had expressed an interest in our Parish Stewardship programme. About 50 people had volunteered their services. Eighteen people turned up for the meeting. Fr Tom opened the meeting by explaining Stewardship. He first said the Stewardship prayer which was included in the Parish Magazine of Advent 2008. The essence of the prayer was “My Church is what I can make it, it will do great work if I work”. Fr Tom indicated that he did not have many expectations from the meeting as this was only a voyage of exploration and things might develop slowly, (and there we were thinking that if the Church could change itself it could change the world).
To paraphrase Fr Tom’s talk - Stewardship is a gift from God, a way of life, God centred, not self-centred. It’s about a life changing pilgrimage taking part in the flow and grace of God. Following Jesus, and being able to answer to God when he asks us what we did with our lives.
He reminded the meeting about a talk given in the Hall on Happiness a few years back. The talk covered how the relatively new school of Positive Psychology says that to be happy (i.e. have more positive than negative emotions in your life) it is necessary to do “more of what you enjoy”, “to work to your strengths” and “to have some meaning in your life”. The more you give the more you get.
Stewardship is all about Talents, Time and Treasure. This meeting was only about Talents and Time as the “Living our Faith” project conducted earlier had exceeded its targets. The first step in Stewardship is to discover your Talents and use them to meet the needs of the Parish. The meeting was divided up into three groups to answer two questions.
1) What are the talents in the Parish? 2) What are the needs of the Parish? Each of the groups had to report to the overall group. The responses to these questions will be reported in the next two newsletters.
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Sunday Missal: Page 670 † New Edition: Page 854
Psalm Response
O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.
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