THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
John the Baptist is trying to get his followers to pay attention: pay attention to their lives and pay attention to the coming of the Holy One. John himself only baptizes with water, but the one coming soon will actually baptize in the Holy Spirit! “Take it seriously,” he wants to say. But how many of John’s followers wanted to take seriously was that he was the Messiah? John continues to tell them that nothing he does or says points to himself.
This is good advice for us, too. Like the Baptist, the good works we may do should not be done to point to ourselves. Like the Baptist, we are not the one whom good things come. We are trying to carry and live out the message that a life of faith and good deeds is what our baptism in the Spirit is about.
How do we live that out? The otherwise stern John the Baptist answers that if it does not necessarily require that we make a momentous change in our lifestyle. Keep doing what you do, he tells the soldiers, the citizens, and the tax collectors, but be more generous with your extra coat and food; be just in all your actions. We, too, are expected to remain in our neighbourhood, our state in life, our work. However, as we let the message of the Baptist pierce our consciousness, there will be simple, but perhaps radical, demands made upon our attitudes, our spirit, the quality of our work, the way we treat others around us and those in need.
CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK
Monday 13th December St Lucy Tuesday 14th December St John of the Cross
MASS INTENTIONS – Masses for January 2022 are fully booked. Please note that if you ask for an Intention on a specific date and a funeral is subsequently arranged on that day, the Intention will be moved to the next available date.
BAPTISMS – Please contact Fr Perry to arrange dates for baptism.
WEDDINGS – If you are planning to get married either in this church or elsewhere, the Diocese requires the minimum of six months in order for preparation and paperwork to be completed. We will be having preparation for couples in the new year. Please register with Fr Perry.
CHRISTMAS EVE – The 6:30pm Mass will be our Family Mass for Christmas. Bishop John will be celebrating the 9pm Mass – due to the pandemic we were unable to mark 50 years of the First Mass in this present church on 24th December 1970 and the official opening on 25th January 1971. Please join us for this special celebration in thanksgiving for 50 years in this church building.
2022 – We celebrate 140 years of the founding of St Paul’s Parish, 50 years of St St Martin de Porres School and 135 years of St Paul’s School. In the New Year Cardinal Vincent will celebrate the 10am Mass on Sunday 23rd January. This will be an opportunity to give thanks for our parish of St Paul’s and for Catholic Education in this community. After the Mass The Cardinal will bless the knife bin, which is now located outside the church
CHRISTMAS DAY COLLECTION – The Christmas Day collection goes towards the stipend (salary) given to the parish clergy. For those in the planned giving please use the Christmas Day envelope in your box. All other parishioners are asked to use one of the envelopes available at the two doors. If you give by Standing Order this does not include Christmas Day so we would ask you to use one of the envelopes.
CHRISTMAS SERVICES – Please take one of the cards that gives you the details of all Masses & Services from 11th December until the 9th of January 2022.
ALTAR SERVERS – Please sign-up for the Masses over Christmas. There is a sign-up sheet in the Sacristy
EXTRA-ORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION – Those who bring Holy Communion to the housebound, sick and vulnerable, should take regular lateral flow tests to ensure they are safe to do so.
THANK YOU – for the last weekend’s collection of £688.57 (Envelopes £436.06; Loose £252.51). Standing orders and online donations for November amounted to £5562.01. Thank you for your continuing support.
COVID UPDATE
1. We ask that all parishioners (unless exempt) wear a face covering during Mass
2. Please sanitise your hands as you enter and leave the church
3. At Holy Communion, please follow the instructions of the Stewards (10am & 12 noon only)
4. Cleaners are needed after Masses to help sanitise the church.
5. People displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 should stay at home and not travel to church or participate in person.
6. If we all follow the above guidelines, then our church will continue to be a safe place for us to gather for worship, including over Christmas.
7. We encourage parishioners to get vaccinated and have the booster jab when invited.
From this weekend the stewards will be on duty to ensure we all keep to the guidelines. They are volunteering to keep us all safe.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we move forward as a Parish Community.
MONTHLY DEVOTION TO OUR LADY OF FATIMA – Rosary with Scripture Readings & Hymns will be said on Wednesday 15th December in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel immediately after the 9:30am Mass.
WE PRAY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOULS OF – Ambrose Munro, John Sullivan & Ethlyn Piper who have died in the past week. We offer our condolences and prayers to their families at this time.
The Requiem Mass for Ambrose Munro will take place on Thursday 16th December at 9:30am.
SVP (St Vincent de Paul) – The St Vincent de Paul group in this parish has 15 members. But we would like more. We would also like to hear from people who could help occasionally with moving furniture. Our group’s primary aim is to offer friendship and support to anyone seeking it. Occasionally this support is financial. Among other things we distribute foodstuff donated by parishioners to those needing assistance and host Bingo sessions for the elderly. Next week (11th & 12th December) there is a second collection after all Masses today to support the SVP. Thank you for any help you can give. For more information, phone John on 07955 412 611.
CONFIRMATION 2022 – We will not be registering candidates for next year’s Confirmation Course until the new year. In order to register for the program, you need to be attending weekly Masses here at St Paul’s.
CHURCH HEATING – As winter sets in and the days get colder, the church will be heated but due to the need to keep the building ventilated when occupied, the doors must be kept open. We encourage you to wrap up warmly when coming for Mass.
REFRESHEMENTS – After 10am Sunday Mass and after 9:30am Tuesday Mass
ST PAUL’S & ST MARTIN DE PORRES PRIMARY SCHOOLS – have places available in all years including Reception. Parents are asked to contact the schools for application forms.
EXPERIENCE LOVE & ACCEPTANCE BY COMING HOME TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THIS CHRISTMAS.
There’s an old saying that goes, “Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.” Maybe you have been away from the Church for a little while or for quite some time, but now you feel a tug at your heart calling you back to the Catholic Church. Listen to that tug. It’s your Heavenly Father reaching his arms out to you, the Holy Spirit whispering in your ear, hoping to draw you home.
We hope you accept this as your invitation to rediscover the truth, wonder and mystery of the Catholic faith. As your brothers and sisters in our worldwide Catholic family, we want you back. We’ve missed you, and our Church is not the same without you.
Regardless of why you left or got out of the habit of going to Mass, maybe you haven’t been since the pandemic started, you can always come home and return to the practice of the sacraments and the fullness of relationship with Jesus Christ and the Church he founded. We are Catholic. Welcome home.
5 REASONS TO COME HOME THIS CHRISTMAS
5. We hunger for meaning and purpose in our lives.
4. We need God’s forgiveness and healing for our failings and God’s mercy to help us become better people.
3. Our families need to be built on a strong foundation of faith and we need to live in community with others.
2. The Catholic Church has the Sacraments—and we especially long for the Eucharist.
1. Catholicism is TRUE!
NEXT SUNDAY 19TH DECEMBER – 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT –
1st Reading Micah 5:1-4; 2nd Reading Hebrews 10:5-10; Gospel Luke 1:39-45
ST PAUL’S PARISH NEWSLETTER
19TH SEPTEMBER 2021 25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
| MASS TIMES Monday to Friday – Daily Mass 9:30am Saturday – Vigil Mass 5:30pm Sunday Masses – 8:30am, 10:30am & 12:30pm | Confessions: Saturday 11am – 12 noon Divine Mercy – Mon, Wed & Fri at 3pm Zoom Dial in Code 847 8403 5523 Passcode 255646 |
LIVE-STREAMING – To access our live stream visit https://www.churchservices.tv/woodgreen once the page is loaded click on the picture of the church to view the live stream. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you will be able to see the weekly schedule for all Masses, the link can also be found on the front page of our website. As from Monday 12th July we have stopped recording Masses from St Paul’s. We will record Baptisms Weddings and Funerals as we are doing at present.
WELCOMING THE CHILD
In today’s gospel Jesus is instructing those who will follow on from him and carry on his work for future generations. He took a little child and said to the disciples, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’ As we continue our journey through the Season of Creation, we are reminded of Pope Francis’ words in Laudato Si – On Care for Our Common Home, where he challenges us to reflect: ‘What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?’ (Laudato Si, 160). In the context of the environmental crises our world is facing, how are we welcoming the generations to come? Pope Francis does not hold back when referring to the challenges: ‘We may well be leaving to coming generations debris, desolation and filth’ (LS, 161). We know that climate change and the biodiversity crisis are driving so many problems in our world at present. ‘Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.’ (LS, 25). Yet our pace of consumption does not ease. Young people are standing up and calling governments and world leaders to account, rightly concerned about their future. During this Season of Creation, we must pray for our world, and act. How can we restore our common home and ensure that our world is liveable for the generations who are coming after us? Can our parish explore becoming an Eco-Parish, setting up a care for creation team, turning church grounds in areas which promote biodiversity? There is so much we can do, and no action is too small. We must listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of our young people. ‘The one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.’
Dear Parishioners
Sunday Mass is at the heart of our lives as Catholics. It is how we keep the Lord’s Day Holy.
During this time of Covid we have excused ourselves from this God-given obligation. At present those with underlying health issues can still excuse themselves. But what about the rest of us? We are going to our places of work, using public transport, going to cafes & Restaurant’s, the supermarkets and other shops, the children are back in school and we meet with family and friends. Bur we don’t come to Mass.
If we are able to do so many of the everyday things it is surely time to come back to Mass, time to let go of watching Mass on live-stream. We need the great gift of Holy Communion in our lives, to gather once more as the parish community of St Paul the Apostle around the altar of the Lord.
All of us have a part to play in reaching out and encouraging those who have not returned to church.
It is time to get back to Sunday Mass. We look forward to seeing you in church.
Fr Perry
CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK
Monday 20th September St Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions, Martyrs
Tuesday 21st September St Matthew
Thursday 23rd September St Pius of Pietrelcina
THANK YOU – for the last weekend’s collection of £949.40 (Envelopes £726; Loose £223.40). Standing Orders for August amounted to £5320.35. Thank you for your continuing support.
WELCOME – to Deacon Mike Guthrie who will be with us here at St Paul’s this weekend. This “weekly” placement at St Paul’s as a deacon is the final part of Deacon Mike’s training before ordination to the priesthood. Please give him a great welcome after Mass
MASS INTENTIONS – Masses for October are fully booked. We are able to send Mass Intentions to Fr Henry in Malawi.
BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL – The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is open for private prayer from after morning Mass until 6pm (Monday to Wednesday) and until 2pm (Thursday & Friday). Please sanitise your hands as you arrive and we ask that you use the wipes provided to clean the bench before you leave.
BAPTISMS – Please contact Fr Perry to arrange dates for baptism.
WEDDINGS – Please contact Fr Perry if you are planning to get married either in this church or elsewhere.
DIOCESAN MASS FOR ALTAR SERVERS – at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 2nd October 2021 at 2:30pm. If you are interested, please add your name to the sign-up list in the Sacristy.
FR JONATHAN’S FAREWELL MASS & CELEBRATION – Will be on Friday 8th October beginning with Mass at 7pm; followed by a celebration. There will be a meeting on Tuesday 21st September at 7:30pm to decide what kind of celebration we will have after Mass. This weekend, for those who wish to give towards a leaving gift for Fr Jonathan, envelopes are available as you leave the church. We will collect them next weekend 26th September.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION – Sessions for the children continue on Saturday 25th September at 10am in the Parish centre. There will be a meeting for parents on Saturday 2nd October at 10am in the Church.
HOLY COMMUNION FOR 2022 – We will not be registering the present Year 3 children until after half-term. Please watch the newsletter for details.
YEAR 6 – SECONDARY TRANSFER – In the next couple of weeks we will give the time parents can come to get the Certificate of Catholic Practise signed.
CONFIRMATION – Session for the young people next Saturday 25th September at 4pm in the Parish Centre.
CAFOD FAST DAY – 1ST OCTOBER – Pope Francis says we are a single family living in a common home. Climate change is a crisis that will affect each one of us. A crisis that is damaging our world, God’s creation.
Family Fast Day is on 1st October and we’d really appreciate your help in supporting our appeal with your prayers and donations. Fast Day envelopes will be given out at all Masses on the 25th/26th September Please return them the following weekend. Any donations will be greatly accepted.
ST PAUL’S SCHOOL MEAL TIME SUPERVISOR REQUIRED – It is 2 hours work from 11:55am- 1:25pm Monday – Friday. Applicants will supervise the children while eating and help younger children with their food. They will also supervise play and help facilitate games. They will have an opportunity to talk with the children and lead small groups in art, dance, drama or games.
PETER O’SHANNESSY’S 2 MILE CHARITY SWIM – for the Alzheimers and Dementia Society on Saturday 18th September. Pete (St Paul’s School Headteacher) would appreciate any donations, the names of people who have suffered with the conditions as he would like to make it concrete who he is swimming for and your prayers as it is a very long swim.
NEXT SUNDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER – 26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME –
1st Reading Numbers 11:25-29; 2nd Reading James 5:1-6; Gospel Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Parish Website: https://parish.rcdow.org.uk/woodgreen/
Parish Office: woodgreen@rcdow.org.uk ; tel: 020 8888 2390
Fr Perry Sykes: perrysykes@rcdow.org.uk