The ALPHA Course starts this week! - Have you got questions about life? You are warmly invited to experience ALPHA at Holy Cross. Alpha is an excellent opportunity to explore the Christian faith in a friendly and open environment. The course will run from Tuesday 23rd January and then over the following 10 Tuesday evenings at the Hume Centre (Parsons Green Nursery entrance) on Cortayne Road. Alpha starts at 7.30pm and is finished by 9.15pm. Each Alpha evening includes supper, a talk and discussion. Alpha is for everyone and anyone. The beauty of Alpha is that no question is too difficult or too simple. Please email if you would like to attend, or for more information.

Congratulations – to Hugh Joseph Walsh, a young man who will complete the Sacraments of Initiation by receiving his First Holy Communion and being confirmed this Sunday, the 21st January at the 11.30am Mass. Please keep him in your prayers as he embraces a life of faith and witness.

Sacred Heart Chapel – There is now a candle stand in the Sacred Heart Chapel in front of the statue, should you wish to light candles as part of your prayers and devotion.

Children’s Liturgy – takes place during the 9.30am Family Mass on Sunday mornings during term time. We are grateful for the commitment of our current catechists, who help our children to learn more about their faith. They are always looking for more volunteers to help out. If you would like to get involved please contact Niamh, the Children’s Liturgy coordinator by e mailing the parish office and any message will be passed on.

Peace Sunday – Many thanks for your donations taken in the retiring collection last weekend which raised£257.48. This has now been sent to support Pax Christi, the International Catholic peace movement.

Parish Registration/Census - If you are new to the parish, then please complete a census form available from the table in the Church porch. When completed, hand it to Fr Michael after Mass or hand it into Annie, the parish administrator in the parish office.

Church etiquette – Please try and be at Mass in good time. Please turn your mobile phones off, and do not use them when you are in Church to text, e mail or make calls. Please dispose of food wrappers and coffee cups before you arrive. Many thanks for the efforts we are all making to make our Church a more prayerful, special and sacred space.

A message from the members of the Parish Finance Committee– If you come to Mass regularly at Holy Cross and wish to support the upkeep of our parish, then you are encouraged to do so by Bank Standing Order. This is a payment directly taken from your own bank account to the Church bank account and is the easiest and most secure method to give (because nobody has to handle money and pay it into the bank) Paying by Bank Standing Order is most suitable if you have a regular income which is paid into your own bank each month. It is also very easy to set up. All you have to do is fill in a Bank Standing Order form, with your bank account details, the day of the month you want your gift to be made and the amount you have decided to give each month. You then simply return the completed form to the Parish Office. You can also easily change the amount of your Bank Standing Order (should your circumstances change, or when you review your giving) by contacting your bank. If you would like to give by this method, please pick up a standing order form which is available at the back of the Church. When completed this should be returned to the Parish Office. Many thanks for supporting your parish.

We pray for those who are sick:Donatella Sanso,Sheila McCusker,Sarah Muir, Jenny Guest, Nana Akowuah,John Connors, Myra Scully, Teresa Knott and for all the sick and housebound in our parish. We pray for the faithful departed:Recently deceased: Mary Coll, Louise Young, and all who have died because of conflict and war, terrorism or natural disaster. Anniversaries:

What is Ordinary Time? – This weekend we celebrate the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is called "ordinary" because the weeks are numbered. The Latin wordordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin wordordo, from which we get the English wordorder. Thus, Ordinary Time is in fact the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.There are two times we are in Ordinary Time. There are 28 weeks of Ordinary Time after Easter and 5 weeks of Ordinary Time after Christmas. However, this varies depending on when Easter falls in a particular year. The actual number of weeks of Ordinary Time in any given year can total 33 or 34.