St. Joseph’s Newsletter – 17thDecember 2017
Bonus Ball Winner: 40 – John Cain
Offertory - £1822.96 (inc. standing orders)
CAFOD (Next week)
Sanctuary Lamp
Howard New
(Birthday Memories)
Marian Candle
Glynn & Smith Families
(In Loving Memory)
Lately Dead
Kevin AlexanderTaylor,
Room at the Inn – The Y Project Homeless Charity
As many of you will be aware, the YMCA on Winmarleigh Street closed due to lack of funding, so the Y Project are in the process of setting up as an independent charity taking over the work that was carried out by the YMCA, such as the night shelter and homeless day centre. Just like the YMCA they are open 19 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year which include bank holidays and Christmas and New Year period. However, in order to run this service they need £450 a day. We are, therefore, holding a bucket collection after all Masses TODAY to help them provide an essential service for our homeless community. I am aware that this is a very expensive time of year, and would like to thank you for your generosity.
St. Joseph’s Parish Centre - Christmas Fundraising Quiz
Sunday 17th December – Quiz starts at 9pm and all monies raised will be given to St. Joseph’s Family Centre. Donations to the raffle, e.g. bottles, gifts, chocolates etc. would be gratefully received. These can be dropped off at the Presbytery during office hours. Thank you.
If anyone knows of any sick or housebound parishioner who would like to receive communion at home, please let Fr. Malcolm know. Thank you.
Frances Lewis and family would like to thank everyone for their cards, flowers and messages of sympathy received after the sad loss of her husband Reg. A Mass will be offered for all your intentions.
Prayer in preparation for the Eucharistic Congress 2018 and for Synod 2020
We thank you Father
For the love you have shown us
In the gift of Jesus, your Son.
Keep us grateful each day
For the blessings that surround us.
As we are fed by you,
So now send us out
To share what we have received
With our hungry brothers and sisters.
We humbly ask your help to become the Church
That you are calling us to be:
A community that listens, that trusts,
That lives with courage
And puts out its nets into new waters.
May the gentle presence of Christ in our hearts
Be a source of healing, of new life
And of a deeper trust in you.
We ask this in faith
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Congratulations to Thomas Houghton(age 14) who has completed his channel swim (22 miles) in Penketh Pool to raise money for Aspire. If you have very kindly sponsored Thomas, please could you hand your money to Fr. Malcolm or put it in an envelope and post it through the Presbytery door. Thank you very much for your generosity and well done Thomas!
Liverpool 2018 Directories and Ordo’s are now on sale in the Piety Shop. The Ordo/Diary is priced at £5, the ring Directory is £4 and the standard directory is £3.50.
A Message from John Traynor
Our family have been very heartened and comforted by the messages, prayers and support from so many people in the parish and the deanery at Junes’ death.
Many not familiar with our parish were impressed at the funeral Mass.
For June and myself it is no surprise for this is a parish that supports each other and lives the reality of everlasting life brought by the Son of God whose birth we are about to celebrate. In tangible terms that support will mean some £800 in donations going to Project Paria and “ourwarmwelcome”, a charity set up by Kevin Duffy a deacon in St Helens to aid asylum seekers. Whilst our family is sad at the passing of an inspiring lady, the faith June had is now vindicated. We draw hope from her passing and the strength of the parish community.
Thank you all so much. A mass will be offered for you all.
John Traynor
St. Joseph’s Family Centre
As you are aware, SJFC runs a welfare service in which they take donations of good quality furniture and deliver direct to the people who are in need of these items. Currently they have a large list of requests and not many donations! They are therefore, urgently requesting the following;-
- Wardrobes – not massive ones as the properties they usually deliver to are apartments or small houses.
- Chests of drawers.
- Double beds – with mattresses in good condition and fire label.
- Single beds – as above.
- Small dining tables and 4 chairs.
- Bunk beds – with mattresses as above if possible.
If anyone has any of the above cluttering up space in your house, please get in touch with Lorraine or Debbie at SJFC on 01925 635448. Thank you,
Penketh Chess Club now meets at St. Joseph’s Parish Centre, Meeting Lane every TUESDAY at 8pm. We are now a purely SOCIAL chess club – for friendly rather than competitive games. A worm invitation is extended to anyone who would like a game, including less experience and novice players – even those who would like to learn how to play. All enquiries: Chris Haggett 01925 724008.
The trip to the Lowry on Wednesday 3rd January to see Around the World in 80 Days has been paid for and the tickets have been received. The price for the coach is £8.00 return per person. This can be paid in advance to Christine, or on the night. The coach will be leaving St. Joseph’s car park at 5.30pm.
The Pantomime Group is seeking your help in finding and obtaining a programme from the 1996 production of Cinderella. If you have a copy lurking in a dusty corner, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Christine at the office on 722105.
The CAFOD Fun Run is the perfect opportunity to burn off the Christmas calories and help others at Christmas! Please encourage your friends and family to come to run or walk or toddle (from 2 – 8 kms) to raise lots of money for those who need it most! It is Wednesday 27th December at Wavertree Park & Athletics Centre, Wellington Road, L15 4LE at 1pm registration opens at noon Signing up costs £7 per person, £15 for a family or £70 for a group of 10 or more people, sponsorship forms are available. Prizes for the best fancy dress costumes! For further details, please contact 0151 228 4028, .
NEW YEAR’S EVE AT ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH CENTRE
New Year’s Eve Family Disco. Starts at 8.00pm until 12.45am. Doors open at 7pm. Bring your own food. Tickets £2.50 for kids and £5 for adults. Tickets on sale from 1st December.
Marriage Preparation Facilitators
The Marriage Preparation team is recruiting new Facilitators who lead and present our marriage preparation courses. If you would like to become a Facilitator, please contact Frank for more information and to discuss the role. Contact: E-mail: ; Tel: 0151 522 1046.
Any couples wishing to get married in 2018/19 at St. Joseph’s Church, could they please get in touch with Fr. Malcolm on 01925 722105, in order to arrange a date to attend the Marriage Preparation Course.
One of our young parishioners, Thomas Houghton (age 14) is swimming the channel (22 miles or 1770 lengths) in 12 weeks at Penketh Pool to raise money for Aspire, a charity which helps people with spinal cord injury. A sponsorship form is at the back of Church if you would like to sponsor him. Thank you.
St Joseph’s Scout Group has been successful in an application for the next round of “Co-Op Local Community Funding” running for the next 11 months from 12th November. Every time a member shops at the Co-op, 1% of what they spend on Co-Op products goes into a local community fund along with every penny from bag purchases. Members can choose on-line which of the three local causes to help. We would therefore be very grateful if people could consider becoming a member of the Co-Op, if they are not already a member, and support our parish Scout group during the next 11 months by choosing the “15th Warrington West Scout Group” as your chosen local cause. Help us to help young people from Penketh and Great Sankey. Thank you.
Our God is Rich in Mercy
Advent Service of Reconciliation
On Tuesday, December 19th at 7.30pm we are having our Parish Advent Service of Reconciliation because we are confident that God is merciful. We have this confidence because, in every age, God has shown His justice and His mercy. When his chosen people erred, he sent prophets to call them back. He sent John the Baptist to call sinners to repentance and to announce the coming of the Saviour. And in His greatest act of merciful love, God sent His only Son to live among us, to preach of the Father’s love, and to set us free from sin and death. God continues to save His people and Christ continues to be present to us, especially in the Church’s Sacraments. And in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, though we cannot grasp the richness of His grace nor depth of His compassion, God continues to offer us His mercy.
In our Advent Reconciliation Service there will be a number of priests with us so there will be the opportunity for individual reconciliation. Please do make use of the grace of this Sacrament as part of your preparation for the great Feast of Christmas.
ACT IN SUPPORT OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
Do you support Catholic schools and the right of Catholics to send their children to them?
Then we need you to make your voice heard. The Government is making a critical decision on whether to overturn the admissions cap which prevents new Catholic schools from allowing all Catholic pupils to attend.
The Prime Minister has acknowledged that this policy discriminates against Catholics and had promised previously to abandon it. Now the Government may decide to keep this discriminatory policy in place instead of removing it. We need you to tell the Government not to discriminate against Catholics and to remove the admissions cap on new faith-based schools.
Visit to write to the Government and urge them to drop their policy which bans new Catholic schools.
Gospel Reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent
Recognising Jesus In Our Lives
If we were still using the Latin Mass, one of the first words we would have heard this Sunday would have been ‘Gaudete’ meaning ‘rejoice’. The third Sunday of Advent, otherwise known as ‘Gaudete Sunday’ is a day upon which we are invited to rejoice. But what if we don’t feel as though there is much to rejoice about? Should we pretend? Should we put on a smile and thank God for our blessings with a joy that we don’t honestly feel in our hearts?
There’s a well known saying that goes “Every cloud has a silver lining.” The old adage is telling us to look for good in every circumstance, but in truth it’s not always easy to believe in silver linings or know how to find them. Our lives can sometimes feel like a pointless spiral of problems, and finding joy can be elusive.
In the days of John the Baptist, the Jewish people had been praying for a messiah who would come in great power like a regal warrior to restore Israel. They were unable to recognise Jesus as the answer to their problems, because he was just the humble son of a poor carpenter. They didn’t recognise him because he wasn’t what they were expecting. They were unable to embrace their ‘silver lining’.
Today it is easy to recognise Jesus in our lives when things are going well, but in our suffering Jesus’ presence can be harder to recognise. God’s agenda is hardly ever our own agenda. The solutions we yearn for and pray for are probably not God’s solutions. Today’s challenge is to rejoice in God’s presence in all of life’s circumstances both good and bad. We need to recognise God when he comes to us in ways we do not expect.
Gaudete Sunday
Celebrated on the Third Sunday of Advent, this day takes its common name from the Latin word Gaudete ("Rejoice"), the first word of the introit of this day's Mass. In churches which have a Advent wreath, the rose coloured candle is lit in addition to two of the violet coloured candles. Despite the otherwise sombre readings of the season of Advent, which has as a secondary theme the need for penitence, the readings on the third Sunday emphasize the joyous anticipation of the Lord's coming.
Homeless At Christmas
Shelter Appeal 2017
Right now, there are 65,000 homeless families in Britain and they need our support. ‘Shelter’ tells us that just £10 can pay to answer an urgent call to our helpline, and £30 can pay for face-to-face advice that could help a family keep their home.
Make ‘Shelter’ your new Christmas tradition. Visit their site at
Other charities that are running Christmas appeals for the homeless are....
Eco Food Tip
Care for Our Common Planet
Buy all your Christmas fruit and vegetables loose and ditch all that wasteful supermarket plastic packaging.Remember that supermarkets will eventually bend to what consumers want if enough of us vote with our purses.
The Great Christmas Get Together
Jo Cox Foundation #MincePieMoments
After the success of the 'Great Get Together' in the summer, the Jo Cox foundation has launched 'The Great Christmas Get Together'.
Christmas is a time when too many people are isolated and alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way! The Jo Cox Foundation wants to build on the positive momentum of The Great Get Together, when over 9 million people around the UK gathered together to show we have “more in common” than that which divides us. That’s why this Christmas they’re calling on the country to build closer communities through positive connections by sharing mince pies with each other.
With #MincePieMoments, it only takes a moment and a delicious baked treat to brighten someone’s Christmas. So take this chance to make friends over mince pies and start a conversation together.
Let’s create millions of #MincePieMoments together!
Bitesize
Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
Maurice Setter
Mass Intentions for week commencing 18th December 2017Monday 18th / 9.30am / Mary Phelan
Tuesday 19th / 9.30am / John Hankinson
Wednesday20th / 9.30am / Claramma Kurian
Thursday 21st / 9.30am / Eileen Farrington
Friday 22nd / 11.00am / Requiem Mass for Edgar Bonnici
Saturday 23rd / 4.30-5pm / Confessions
Sunday 24th / 8.30am
10.30am / Una Redmond
Dave Cooper
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Joseph’s will take place this week on Wednesday from 10.30am until 12 Noon.
Funerals
There will be a Requiem Mass at St. Joseph’s on 22nd December at 11.00am for Edgar Bonnici.
Christmas Eve Mass times
6pm
8pm
11.30pm – Carol Service followed by Midnight Mass