PARISH NEWSLETTER FOR ST. JOSEPH’S (MAIDENHEAD)
& ST. ELIZABETH’S (COOKHAM)
12th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B
Sleeping Jesus
In what for the apostles was a very bad storm, Jesus slept. It’s like he seems asleep in the deep darknesses of life: people’s darkness of self-esteem; long-term illness; an addiction; migration; things that cause big storms in our lives.
But in the friendship and love of God we find we can survive and even grow through them, especially the troubles we have little control over. Even when Jesus was asleep the apostles felt his protective presence.
They found calm only when they were in the middle of the storm. We will find Jesus in the middle also of our storms, when we try not to hide our troubles from him. This was how Job got a bit better in the first reading – his friends were trying to help him avoid his troubles, like take a few drinks, enter a transitory relationship – all the things we do to avoid our troubles. In the middle of the tempest, God spoke to them.
We sit with him in prayer and let him know how we are, and just allow his calm to come over us. We find courage and hope at the Mass and other sacraments, like the great peace of a person when they have received the anointing of the sick, or the help we can get from the community of people in parish and in the church at bad times. It gives us the courage and strength to deal with what are storms in our lives.
Remember a bad time when God seemed to help you. Be grateful.
Prayer: Protect us from all anxiety as we wait.
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Job 38:1, 8-11 Job’s pride is curbed by awe.
Ps 106 R/ O give thanks to the Lord, his love endures forever.
2nd Reading: 2 Cor 5:14-17 Paul’s spiritual outlook: A life prompted and sustained by the love of God.
Acclamation: Alleluia! 2x A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 4:35-41 Calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee
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13th Sunday of Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
Ps 29 R/ I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
2nd Reading: 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15
Acclamation: Alleluia! 2x Your words are spirit Lord, and they are life: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
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14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Eze 2:2-5
Ps 123 R/ Our eyes are on the Lord till he shows us his mercy
2nd Reading: 2 Cor 12:7-10 Acclamation: Alleluia! Alleluia! The Word was made flesh and lived among us; to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God. Alleluia!
Gospel: Mark 6:1-6
St. Joseph’s 140th Anniversary
Celebrations
We will mark the 140th Anniversary of the of the laying of the foundation stone of St Joseph’s Church, with a Concelebrated Mass at 11:00 on 14 July 2024,
followed by a party in the Parish Centre. The VIPs include The Right Reverend Peter Doyle, The Mayor and Theresa and Philip May. Mass will be followed by a light Buffet Lunch Reception, together with Entertainment by Maidenhead Choral Society, in the Parish Centre.
The 140th Anniversary Draw will take place during the reception so, please make sure you have purchased your tickets to have a chance of winning the first prize of £200.
Save the Date and come along to enjoy the Celebrations!
We will also release the 140th Anniversary Magazine on that weekend.
Please take only ONE per household. Thank you!
Read Fr. Patrick Lonkoy Bolengu, Mhm’s Thank You letter for the Ambulance Boat here. Fr Patrick is the Mill Hill Contact Person for DR Congo Missio Area
Church Noticeboard
- Baptisms:
- 29 Jun: Lenny, son of Luke & Bethan
- 13 Jun: Aaliyah, daughter of Steve & Alisha
- 22 Jun – 16 Jul Office closed. Mass intentions for this period can be booked directly with the priests. Please check St Edmund’s newsletter for parish updates.
- Fr Ephraim will be back on 6 Jul.
- Mary’s School: vacancies for Catholic Foundation Governors to help provide strategic direction to the school. For further information and application pack, contact [email protected]
- PREPARE YE THE WAY… to the General Election. Please ensure you have registered to vote in the General Election by 18th June 2024. As a Catholic, Christian Community, Pope Francis, Cardinal Vincent Nichols & the Bishops of England & Wales remind us of our Duty and Obligation to uphold our Teaching and Principles by representing our views to the Candidates in our Civic Elections. Come listen to Fr Kevin’s talk on A Catholic Voice on the issues in our forthcoming election on 25th June at 10.30am after the 10am Mass in St Elizabeth’s Room
- SVP is recruiting! See flyers at back/front of church
- We are very proud Aaron, son/ grandson of Srian. Don. And Cecilia Leanage. He is one of 5 nominees for the prestigious “Young Person of the Year” Award by the Royal Television
Babies to Teens
- 2 Jul Baptismal Course at St Joseph’s. For parents whose child is being baptised in M’head. Please meet one of the parish priests before attending.
- FIRST HOLY COMMUNION sign up is open now. Please complete online form and all requested info by 31 Aug: https://forms.office.com/e/i5a9vcWdyv. First meeting on a Saturday in late Sept/early Oct.
- Next Confirmation programme will be 2025/6
- Fridays 8.45-10:45am Baby & Toddler Group in St Edmund Parish Centre (term time only)
- 11- 18 yr olds: Youth St Vincent de Paul (YSVP) group is launching in Sept 2024. https://svp.org.uk/youth-svp; Register/info Hilda 07749 917134.
Events in Church
- 27 Jun no rosary. 4 Jul Zoom bible studies resume. See info pack for joining in link.
- 30 Jun after 11am Mass Short awareness talk about the caring needs for people affected by dementia, and the impact on their social and family’s wellbeing. Talk will also cover benefits that you are entitled to after being discharged from hospital. Talk & hospitality sponsored by Heritage Healthcare.
30 – 6pm: FREE – DEMENTIA VIRTUAL TOUR in the carpark in a mobile dementia simulator (bus). - 30 Jun 12-3pm Celebrating 60 years of St Edmund Pri School + St Edmund Campion Parish Fun Day. 11am Feast of Ss Peter & Paul Mass on the field. Activities, games, Raffle, BBQ, Bar, Bouncy Castles & Tombola.
- 5 Jul 10am Healing Mass followed by Soup Lunch (7pm in St Edmund’s)
- 14 Jul 2.30-5pm, Bereavement Support Group St Edmund Campion Hall. Come for a cup tea & cake to talk or share with others who are also grieving
- 19 Jul 7.30pm Social Evening by SVP M’head with local folk musicians Mark Ashworth & Greg O’Brien. Tickets @ £10 includes cheese platter and glass of wine + donations bar. Tickets: 07749 917134.
- 21 Jul 3pm Filipino Mass All are welcome!
- 23-30 Aug Lourdes Pilgrimage Contact Fr Tom: 07908213034 to find out more
- 23 Sep 7.30pm SVP Musical evening. Musicians from M’head parishes who want to perform, contact Peter: 07976625813. Tickets @ £8 on sale in July. Soft drinks & snacks available to buy (cash). BYO drinks & glasses.
- Weekly Badminton (Mondays 7.30pm) & Taichi (Weds 5pm) in Hall. All levels welcome! Contact Peter 075477 42578 if attending for first time.
Magazine We need writers, contributors, photographers for our upcoming Parish Magazine. Please contact the office if you’re interested in helping or advertising!
We have a TWO contactless machine that will accept Gift Aid! You only have to input your details ONCE and ALL future donations with the same card will be Gift-Aided!
To reduce repeating information in the printed newsletter, we have printed hand-bag/ wallet-friendly information packs and placed them at the entrance/exits of the church. Please keep this with you for future reference. Thank you for helping us save the environment by reducing paper waste!
Walks and Talks
- 23 Jun 11.15am Pilgrimage Mass at Lyford Grange Bus leaves St Edmund church, stopping for carvery lunch and then Mass in Lyford Barn. Returning Maidenhead 7.00pm. £25 (coach + lunch), children free on coach. Queries & coach bookings contact John (tel 07931-292934 or 01628-636668)
- 13 Jul Unveiling the Wonder of the Eucharist Become more aware of God’s presence beyond the Mass. All day at Byfleet Rd, Cobham, KT11 1DR. Register: coretlumenchristi.churchsuite.com/events/mqi1jcyv
Can you help?
Marriage Care is a Catholic organisation specialising in relationship support. We are looking for Marriage Preparation Course Facilitators to prepare couples for the Sacrament of Marriage (full training is provided for this role), Qualified Relationship Counsellors to support couples in distress and Trustees to provide governance and strategic direction for the organisation. For more information please visit: www.marriagecare.org.uk or email: [email protected]
partnered with market-leading solicitors and will-writing providers to offer a basic simple or mirror Will for free. In-person, online or by phone. There is no obligation to leave our Parish a gift in your Wills. https://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/support-our-work/make-your-free-will/
Inspire and empower children & young people in your local Catholic schools by delivering an assembly or a workshop. CAFOD will provide training and all resources. Contact Jo Lewry [email protected] or phone 07710 094447 for more info.
There are new arrivals at the local asylum seeker hotel and we need the following: new packs of underwear, socks, summer clothes in medium size for women and men. If you can help please drop any donations to Sacred Heart altar in church. We are also always looking for hosts for homeless refugees. If you would like to talk about what might be involved in hosting please contact us on 07749 917134.
If you want to donate directly to SVP for helping refugees who are facing homelessness & destitution, you can do so via CDP Maidenhead St Josephs Church Ac 00882667 / 30-93-04. Please include your full name and “+SVP” so we can earmark your contribution.
A steering group of religious and other groups are trying to establish three new initiatives under the auspices of the Brett Foundation. One is temporary hosting for refugees through a Gift-a-Room scheme. The second is a temporary Winter homeless shelter for all rough sleepers.The third is a Drop-in Centre to provide basic support for all people living on the streets, such as food and shower facilities. We are asking for any or all of:-
*Offers of a room for a refugee for up to two months – references will be taken for both host and refugee and a mentor provided to help both with any issues
* Volunteers to help with the homeless shelter for all rough sleepers for a variety of tasks, such as cooking, cleaning up, welcoming people and/or occasional overnight stays either once a week or once a month
* Volunteers at the Drop-in Centre for all rough sleepers for tasks such as making teas/coffees and making guests feel welcome either once a week or once a month.
We have created the following material to explain the schemes on The Brett Foundation website: there is a full page devoted to each of the streams, as well as an introductory page with links to each of the streams: https://www.brettfoundation.charity/homeless-project
This is a link directly to the Gift-a-Room scheme: https://www.brettfoundation.charity/homeless-project/gift-a-room-scheme
If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate call us on 07749 917134
appeal for volunteers. Would you enjoy meeting and helping all kinds of people on Saturday and pay-day Friday nights? Come try a taster session around Maidenhead town centre with a small friendly group. Contact: [email protected] or see facebook.com/maidenheadstreetangels
RESOURCES
Magnificat: This is one of the best publications around for following scripture readings for daily Mass and every Sunday. There are also many interesting articles to help you in your spiritual life. If you would like a copy please get in touch with the Parish Office to arrange. We can leave in the sacristy or post out to you. The Magnificat is only £5 per month.
Day by Day: Available in the church at all times. Please leave the £1 in the candle box.
Library: We have a parish library located in the corridor of the Parish Centre. This is dedicated to Theology/Religious books. Please feel free to borrow/swap.
St Joseph’s Church Repository: is open after 11am every Sunday. We have lots of cards, candles, rosary beads, statues and many more religious gifts on sale. If a Sunday does not suit to visit, then please phone the office on 01628 783988 and we can arrange a time that best suits.
Vacancies: We currently have some exciting opportunities across the Diocese.
All vacancies posted here.
Other information and links
Rosary Group via Zoom every Thursday at 2pm (See here for joining instructions) ►
Last session for December will be on Thursday the 14th of December at 2pm
Rosary will resume on Thursday the 11th January 2024 at 2pm
Missio If you have a Red Box which is ready to be emptied, please bring it in over the coming weeks.
If you’re away from your church or the Diocese, you can still keep in contact with all the latest news from the Bishop or the Diocese via: E- News (subscription service available)
Twitter @PortsmouthRC
Facebook @PortsmouthRC @StJoMaidenhead
Are You New To Our Parish?
Thank you for your interest in our parish. Whether you’re just visiting us for a brief time, looking for a new parish home, returning to the practice of your Catholic faith or are interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church, we are happy to answer your questions, listen to your comments and help you in any way that we can. We are a parish of the Diocese of Portsmouth, and are a very vibrant community, made up of ‘old’ Maidenhead families and relative “newcomers” from all walks of life.
We hope that you find our Catholic parish a caring community that is loving, welcoming and supportive of all. Our mission is to grow in the image of Christ through the Holy Spirit, to be formed by the Word and our prayer, to use our gifts to welcome those who are here and reach out to those who are not. We invite you to join us as partners in the mission. Together, let us get to know Christ better and to make Him better known. May God Bless you wherever you are and thank you for exploring our website and newsletter. Please stop by the parish office to introduce yourself! We would love to meet you.
Code: SI: Special Intention, RIP: Rest in Peace, A: Anniversary, FM: Foundation
We would like to get the newsletter distributed on time and are grateful for understanding in the deadline for submissions of announcements and mass intentions. Please send all contributions no later than Thursday 10am.