ST JOSEPH’S JOURNAL Volume 53 No: 10
CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION & SAINT JOSEPH
23 ST JOHN’S STREET, HERTFORD SG14 1RX
https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/hertford
Email: hertford@rcdow.org.uk
Parish Priest: Canon Terence Phipps Tel: 01992 582109
DATE: 14 March 2021
FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT – LAETARE SUNDAY
The page numbers for the prayers for this Sunday’s Mass are at the front of The Parish Mass Book. Please note that there is a Loop system in the Church.
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THE VIEW FROM THE PRESBYTERY
We have arrived at the Fourth Sunday of Lent and this has traditionally been regarded as a break from Lenten penance and a celebration of joy to come. The vestments are pink, or rose, and it is also Mothering Sunday or Mothers’ Day, when we give thanks for the mother church of our diocese and for the mothers of our families. There is much to be thankful for.
You may recall that last weekend I mentioned the Novena of Prayer to St Joseph, which has been put together as part of the Year of St Joseph, which the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has called for. We shall be praying the novena at all Masses from 11-19 March and there are still a few copies of the texts on the table in the cloister. If you take one, please take it away with you, since we are not supposed to touch paper and then leave it for others, while the virus restrictions are in place. The Novena can also be found on the Parish Website, so you can print your own copy or follow the novena at home. Sadly, we shall be unable to have a reception for the feasts of St Joseph and St Patrick, so we shall have to leave that until next year. What a lot of events have been missed in this pandemic! Let us hope for better times soon. I am due for my second jab this Monday, 15 March. I have to be at the Lister Hospital for 8.15am, so I hope I will get back in good time for the 10.00am Mass. If I am a few minutes late, please forgive me. The vaccination is really important and I would hate to miss it. It is especially important since it has been so well organized overall. Another reason to be thankful.
I have received guidance from the Bishops’ Conference Secretary about the ceremonies of Holy Week and Easter. The good news is that we can celebrate the week this year with a congregation, but we shall have to keep to the distancing and sanitising that we have been using for some months. We shall also have to continue the booking system that has been in place so successfully for some time. The ceremonies will not be quite so ample and grand as usual and we shall have to do without a number of much loved things, such as the washing of the feet on Maundy Thursday evening, the stripping of the altar and the watching at the Altar of Repose. I shall have to discuss these arrangements with a number of people and I have not managed to get my head round it all yet, but I shall get information out to you all over the next couple of weeks. We shall still not be able to have congregational singing, but we managed pretty well at the Christmas Midnight Mass, so I hope we can organise something similar for Holy Week.
Schools have now gone back and we hope and pray that this will not cause a huge rise in infection. We shall see a number of other restrictions gradually relax over the next few weeks, so we can have more confidence for the future. Don’t let’s give up our vigilance and caution too soon. As always: keep safe. Keep smiling. Keep going. Happy Mothers’ Day!
God Bless – Fr Terry
POPE’S INTENTION MARCH:
Sacrament of Reconciliation
We pray that we may experience the sacrament of reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the infinite mercy of God.
ONLINE DONATIONS TO OUR CHURCH:
Westminster Roman Catholic Diocese Trustee Hertford as the account name.
Account number 21263242
Sort code: 40-05-20
If you would like to use STANDING ORDER to donate your weekly/monthly offering, the forms are available on the website to download.
IF YOU WRITE A CHEQUE TO THE PARISH please can you make payable to WRCDT Hertford. Thank you.
LENT PRAYERS: Please see the parish website for the prayer sheet for each Sunday in Lent – kindly created by Fr. Philip Miller. There are also some hard copies in the cloister.
CAFOD – FAST DAY: Abdella lives in an extremely remote and mountainous part of Ethiopia. It takes him ten hours a day to collect water. He says his life is being wasted as he has no time for anything else. Give today to reach vulnerable communities around the world with water and to provide other vital support. Donate online at cafod.org.uk/give. You can also easily give via text. Text LENT to 70460 to donate £10.00. Envelopes are available on the chest at the back of the church.
CARDS AND GIFTS are on sale in the Repository for Mothers’ Day, St Patrick’s Day and Easter
CARDINAL’S LENTEN APPEAL 2021 Cardinal Nichols thanks you for your generous support for the Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal, especially throughout the unprecedented events of 2020. Your donations help fund initiatives in parishes, schools and charities in three mission areas which are more critical than ever. Marriage and Family Life: Youth and Evangelisation: Caritas Westminster: putting our faith into action by serving those in need. Education Service: supporting our schools. This year, the Cardinal is asking us to think about families who are struggling to put food on the table. Through your generosity we’re continuing to provide food for those people most in need. Please take a donation envelope. You can use the QR code to make your donation online. Thank you for your generosity.
TO OUR CATHOLIC UNIVERSE AND CATHOLIC TIMES READERS IN THE PARISH: delivered direct to your home every week, POST FREE. Please go to www.thecatholicuniverse.com or call them on 0161 820 5722 and they will arrange for you.
SPECIAL OFFER 3 MONTHS: £25.00
SPECIAL OFFER 12 Months: £99.00
DIGITAL COPY 12 Months: £55.00
OR DIGITAL COPY/AND HARD COPY
£115.00 (EASTER SPECIAL OFFER)
A local business, Nirva UK, has very generously donated £500 to the food bank. thank you!
MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday:
6.00pm: People of the Parish (Ints)
Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Lent
10.30am: George Robert Emmet (RIP)
6.00pm:
Monday:
10.00am: John Pearson (RIP Anni)
Tuesday:
10.00am: Michael Hearty (RIP Anni)
Wednesday:
10.00am: Christy Tarrant (RIP)
Thursday:
7.30am:
Friday:
10.00am: People of the Parish
Saturday:
10.00am:
6.00pm:
RECENTLY DECEASED: Simon Pearson,
Paulo Messore, Florence Murray.
May they rest in eternal peace.