2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT

(4th December 2011)

WELCOME to any visitors and new parishioners.

CONFESSIONS: Saturday morning ONLY, at both SM and HN 10.30-11am (No evenings), Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the normal times. A priest is available for confessions at St. Anne’s Cathedral every weekday from 11am-12.15pm; and Saturday from 10.30-11.45am & 4.30-5.30pm.

FEAST DAYS: Tue 6th St Nicholas; Wed 7th St Ambrose; Thurs 8th The immaculate Conception of the BVM; Fri 9th St John Diego Cuahtlatoatzin.

BAPTISMS: We welcome and pray for the Wood family and the Mbabazi family, who are presenting their children for baptism at Holy Name this weekend and the Smith family who are presenting their baby for baptism at St Mary’s today.

SICK LIST: Please pray for; Sam Guilfoyle, Fr. Bernard Hall, Elsie Allanson, Rene Jeffries, Peter Butterfield, John Hattersley.

OFFERTORY: The total offerings this week is £1846.38

PERU MISSION FUND: Collection totalled £897.36

ADVENT: A sheet of Advent Reflections is available in the porch. Also available, leaflets detailing the times of Mass & Confession over the Christmas period.

FATHERS – SOME THOUGHTS ON SERMONS! Prior to last weekend an envelope thus addressed - and unsigned - was pushed through the Holy Name presbytery letter box. Inside was a cutting from a recent issue of a Missionary Magazine comprising some very general, rather simple, and unoriginal remarks on the subject of the length and content of Sunday Sermons. If parishioners have comments to make on this or any other subject they should have the courtesy and courage to express them openly and personally. The priests of Our Lady of Kirkstall, very conscious of their inadequacies in this or other aspects of their ministry, wish to take this opportunity to thank those many parishioners who have kindly (and not infrequently) acknowledged the earnestness and/or quality of their homiletic and other pastoral efforts with gratitude. We are confident that such positive appreciation represents the feelings of the great majority in our local Catholic Community - and we will remember in our prayers those who seem to be still disaffected. A recent Editorial in the Catholic Herald (November 11th) concluded some salient reflections on the subject of homilies – including encouraging remarks of Pope Benedict XVI - with this advice to the readers/hearers: ‘….don’t waste time thinking about how the homily could be improved. Pray instead that the Holy Spirit might speak through the preacher and transform the congregation’s hearts and minds’.

THANK YOU: The family of the late Ann Winfield would like to thank Fr Pat, the SVP and parishioners of The Assumption and St Mary's churches for their kind support prayers and Mass cards.

ST. ANNE’S SHELTER (HN): We are once again collecting to provide Christmas gifts to the homeless. Please leave your donations of small unwrapped gifts such as new socks, scarves, gloves, torches, toiletries and underwear, as well as non-perishable foods in tins or packets, in the box in HN porch after weekend Masses, or in the parish office between 1pm and 5pm on weekdays. Please do not use the box during the week, to avoid theft.

ADVENT PENITENTIAL SERVICE: Several priests of this Deanery will be assisting Fr. Pat & Fr Boniface with Confessions at a Penitential Service scheduled in Holy Name church for Tuesday December 20th at 7.30pm. Parishioners are encouraged to avail of this opportunity to prepare spiritually for the Feast of Christmas.

SM CHRISTMAS FAYRE: Thanks to all who helped and supported. Please check the list in the narthex for unclaimed raffle prize numbers. You could be a winner!

ST MARY’S PASTORAL COMMITTEE: As you know, terms of office last for 3 years only before elections need to be held. Four people will be coming to the end of their terms of office this December. Thanks go to Bill McCarthy, Saman Appuhamy& Vikki Kennedy for all their work and to Jude Arbuckle for stepping in to fill the place vacated by Andrew Sixsmith. We would like to invite applications forthe four vacant places on the Pastoral Committee. If you would like to be nominated, pleasecontact Amanda at the Parish office. Closing date for nominations for the four vacant positionsis Monday 12th December. If more than 4 nominations are received, we will hold an election on Sunday 18th December.

A BIG THANK YOU to all those who braved the foggy weather to support our talk on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.£30 was collected fortheJewish Welfare Board charity. Those who would like to continue dialogue with the Jewish community might be interested in joining 'The Council of Christians and Jews'(Tel. 0207 015 5160 website: www.ccj.org.uk )which has a Leeds branch and members from our parish. CCJ is Britain's oldest national interfaith organisation and has been pioneering dialogue between Christians & Jews for over 65 years

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS ROTA (HN): Would ministers let Frank Lawless know, by 11th December please, of dates when they will not be available from 24th December to 25th March 2012. Please advise specifically of your availability over the Christmas weekend.

ST MARY’S senior parishioners are invited to the Dress Rehearsal of the KS1 play on Mon 5th Dec at 1.45pm.Tea and mince pies provided.

ADEL LADIES: The next meeting will be on Mon 5th Dec, 7.30pm, at 14a Breary Lane. SM LADIES GROUP next meeting (Christmas party) to take place on Wed 14th Dec in the School Hall at 7.30pm.

ADVENT MASS: Tue 6th Dec 2pm at Sacred Heart School - All Welcome

SENIOR STROLLERS: Wed Dec 7th, last walk of the year through the pine woods and Valley Gardens at Harrogate. Our seasonal refreshments will be at Betty’s at Harlow Carr as usual. Ring Eileen 2582415 or 0771 348 6507.

HCTCarols in Hall Park,next Saturday 10th Decemberat 4.00 pm at the bandstand. Give it Back Mak!Monday 19th December in St Margaret's Hall at 2pm and 7pm.A nativity play with puppets.See the poster in the narthex.

ST MARY’S COFFEE MORNINGS: The last coffee morning before the Christmas break will be next Sunday 11th December. This will be a fund raiser for the Bambisanani Partnership. This is aninitiativeset up between St.

Mary's Menston High School and Mnyakanya High School in South Africa and has been running for the last five years, it is a project which uses sports and leadership skills as a catalyst to develop international understanding, education and health - this alliance has changed the lives of many students. For more information about the partnership, visit www.bambisananipartnership.com Two of the students from Menston High School who have visited the Mnyakanya High School will give an account of their experiences next week at both Masses. Coffee mornings will resume on January 15th.

ST MARY’S CAROL CONCERT: Please support our annual Carol ConcertUnto us a Boyis born given by the Leeds Guild of Singers next Sunday 11th December, at 3pm followed by refreshments.There will be a collection for CAFOD and Candlelighters.Tickets- £5on sale after Mass.See Poster.

ALL NIGHT VIGIL: All night Eucharistic Vigil Mon Dec 12th (feast of our lady of Guadalupe) at St Mary’s Horsforth. Mass 9-30 pm, Adoration till 4am possible transport, refreshments. Access all night. See poster.

ABBEY CHURCHES TOGETHER invite parishioners to join The Yorkshire Evening Post Brass Ensemble with the Lawnswood Singers at St. Stephen’s Church, Morris Lane, Kirkstall on December 14th at 7.30pm, for “Carols for All”. Tickets or at the door £6.00 including refreshments.

BAPTISM PREPARATION (HN): The next short (4 week) course for parents wishing to have their children baptised begins on Sunday 8th January, running for 1hr after the 9am Mass. To book a place, contact Su in HN office.

SPIRITUALITY IN OUR PARISH:The Gospel of St Mark: Weekly meetings for discussion during Advent led by Fr Pat Smythe 30th Nov, 7th & 14th Dec, 7.30-9pm. Repeated Thursdays 1st, 8th & 15th Dec, 10.15-11.45am. Holy Name Hall (Lounge Area). Additional participants welcome at either session. Collect Gospel text from Fr Pat in advance if possible. All please read chapters 1-8 before meeting if you can. NB Bring Gospel text!! Words for the Soul Book Group. Next meeting Feb 2nd ‘Everything Belongs’ Richard Rohr

MASSES NEXT WEEKEND: 6.30pm (HN): Ken & Phyllis Pearse 8.15am (SM): Ann Winfield 9.00am (HN): People of the Parish 9.45am (A): Hughie McGlen 11.00am (SM): Missionary Society of St Columban 11.15am (HN): Hubert McHugh

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in your life you are all of these (anon)