R E F L E C T I O N
‘JUST A THOUGHT’………………….
“BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW”
May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain, but strengthening you to bear them as they come.
Not by making your path easy, but making you sturdy to travel any path.
Not by taking hardships from you, but by taking fear from your heart.
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine, but by keeping your face bright even in the shadows.
Not by making your life always pleasant, but by showing you when people and their causes need you most and making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.
Anonymous
GOD CALLS IN ALL TYPES OF PRAYER
A Carmelite named Brother Lawrence has left us his secret of deep prayer in the midst of work. Since he cooked for his monastery, he spent most of his time shopping, cooking and managing the kitchen. He tells us that he learned about communion with God from his work rather than from his time in the Chapel:
Know that God is present in your life and everything in it.
Be attentive to the present moment, to everything you do or think or say or suffer or enjoy.
Try as often as you can to recall God’s presence in every moment. Call for God’s help to do the best you can out of love.
Keep at it!
Brother Lawrence
FEASTS/MEMORIALS THIS WEEK
MonSt Vincent, Deacon, Martyr
WedSt Francis de Sales, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
ThuThe Conversion of St Paul
FriSts Timothy & Titus
SatSt Angela Merici
PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
The Holy Father’s Intention for January that Christians, and other religious minorities in Asian countries, may be able to practice their faith in full freedom; expectant mothers; the sick and those who care for them especially - Audrey Burke, Betsy Bawdelly-Smith, Josephine Whittle, Cliff Hutchinson, Alan Berry, Pat O’Neill, Nicolle Ernould, Christine Ashworth, Gerry Newell, Pat Cooke, Jesu Lopez, Ruth de Stefani, Michael Polack and Rudolf Dorrepaal; Bridie Brown and Lady Bronwen Astor recently deceased and Eric Frei, David Goodfellow, Helen Gatford, Barbara Hutchinson, Ellen Simpson, Trixie Moore and Denis Flanagan whose anniversaries occur around this time.
P A R I S H N E W S
T O D A YCollection for
White Flower Appeal
NEXT SUNDAY
Collection for
Catholic Association for
Racial Justice
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) will be holding its annual appeal this weekend.
SPUC is currently campaigning to stop the decriminalisation of abortion, which means taking abortion outside the law. This is the most dangerous threat to unborn children and their mothers in decades.
Please be as generous as you can to help us defeat this latest attack on unborn babies and their mothers, and to stop abortion getting even worse in this country by decriminalisation.
This week we pray for unity as this is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18th to 25th January). As I will be attending the Christian Unity Service at 10 a m at Sts Peter & Paul today (Sunday), Fr Kieran Gardiner will be saying the Masses at Farncombe and Milford. I appreciate it is difficult for us to attend this service of unity as it does not fulfil our Sunday obligation – so it’s double time for Catholics, so to speak! But, joking aside, please remember us in your prayers at Mass and I look forward to seeing those of you who are able to attend.
Fr David
THE DIOCESAN DIRECTORY FOR 2018, price £5, is now available at the back of churches.
THE PARISH PANCAKE RACESwill take place on Sunday, 11th February at St Edmund’s School at 12 noon. Teams of eight from Parish groups (e g Bumps & Babes, First Communion, Confirmation, SVP, etc) are invited to take part. This will be a great opportunity for us all to gather in a social setting and have some fun at the same time. Sign up boards will be available after Mass this weekend.
If you can help in any way, particularly with cooking pancakes, setting up and clearing away, please contact Sandra Paiano on 01428 684766 or email .
CHILDREN’S LITURGY at Milford will be: 21st January, 18th and 25th February, 4th, 11th and 25th March, 15th and 29th April, and 6th and 27th May.
Any letters or cards? Gillie will shortly be undertaking her annual trip to visit her Les Amis projects in Burkina Faso. If any Parishioner would like to write to Frs Lambert or Fabrice (Fr Paul remains in France for the moment), then please get these to her by the end of the first week of February and she’ll be happy to take them with her. Her address is: 11 Mare Lane, Hascombe, GU8 4JH.
Nicki & Alan Lion would like to thank the Parish very much indeed for the lovely tulips given last Saturday at St Edmund's to celebrate their Ruby wedding anniversary. Alan wasn't there!!! - he was up at Wembley, watching Spurs with their three sons - enjoying his Christmas present from them! - But he very much appreciated the gift on his return.
NEW PARENTS…NEW BABY?? If you are planning to have a child baptised this Spring, please contact Judith Carroll ( or 414543) as soon as possible as Baptism Preparation sessions will start very shortly.
PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO AYLESFORD There are just seven seats remaining for the pilgrimage to Aylesford on Tuesday, 8th May. The cost is £19 including coach fare - see Parish website for further details or to book contact Jan Honeysett on 429615.
THE NEXT CHURCHES TOGETHER PRAYER BREAKFAST will take place on Saturday, 27th January at The Old Farmhouse, Elstead, GU8 6DB at 8 30 a m. All invited. Ideally ring Richard Grey (01252 702230) to say you are coming.
Guildford Encounter The Young Adults Prayer (aged 17 - 30) Group is back on Sunday, 28th January. They welcome all young adults to join them for a time of socialising, worshiping, an inspiring talk and adoration every month at St Joseph's Church, Guildford.Join them for the 6 p m Mass or straight after from 7 15 - 9 p m for Encounter.Their speaker this month is Tom Kent, a seminarian for Arundel & Brighton. They look forward to what he has to share with them. Visit for more information.
PLEASE NOTE there will be no Mass next Wednesday, 24th January as Fr David will be saying Mass at St Peter’s School.
AND FINALLY Only when we have enough mental stress to force us to see our own bankruptcy of power, do we trust in God, and only when we trust in God can we make a contribution which will not collapse.
Kenneth L. Pike
P A R I S H D E V E L O P M E N T S
Welcome to the Parish Developments portion of the Newsletter. By now, I hope that most of you will know what this section of the Newsletter covers!
I have started to develop my thoughts on our vision. At the same time, this week has involved a lot of preparation for the forthcoming meetings. It has been a challenging week. I would ask you all to pray for the Parish as we prepare to meet and to discuss the important issues facing us. Please ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten these discussions and to encourage us all to be open and to listen to all that is said. Everybody is welcome and every opinion is welcome.
Here is a final reminder of the important dates and times:
Tuesday, 23rd January 7 45 p m at St Joseph’s to discuss the way forward
Weekend 27th/28th January at all Masses complete survey
There will be tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits before the meetings. We are hoping to finish around 10 p m.
Bishop Richard asked Parishes to consider three further questions about our mission. Here are the next two questions:
What roles in this work can be best carried out by the lay-faithful?
What roles in this work can be best carried out by the priests?
Please consider both these questions ahead of the meetings. I am sure that they will generate a lot of discussion. We all have a responsibility to spread the Gospel, but also keep in mind that the Church has to make her way in the world like other organisations and businesses, with all the obvious differences. So, as an integral part of her mission to spread the Gospel the Church needs to be financially viable, administratively competent and professional, and legally watertight. The good standards found in our society also need to be found in the Church. If you get the time you may like to read verses 27 – 28 of chapter 12 of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.
The final question which Bishop Richard raised was “If we were starting the Diocese today, with 25 priests, where would you place them?” When you come to the meetings, you will appreciate the source of this question. At this juncture, I feel that we, as a Parish, will gain most benefit by focusing on the other questions.
Looking forward to seeing you all. Some have asked if they would be able to come to both meetings (one being held last Friday) and all would be welcome to come to both meetings, if they would find that helpful.
God bless you, Fr David