Nativity of the Lord And

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

DAY SPECIALITY/FEAST WHERE TIME INTENTION

Thu 24 Dec Christmas Eve

St. Paul’s 6pm Father Ray Dunahue

Adrianna, Michael & Family People of the Parish

St. Colman’s 7.30pm Mary & Martin McTigue People of the Parish

St. Colman’s 10.30pm Midnight Mass

Cornelius O’Donnell RIP People of the Parish

Fri 25 Dec The Nativity of the Lord St. Colman’s 9.15am Andrews Family

People of the Parish

St. Paul’s 11am David O’Donnell & Family People of the Parish

Sat 26 Dec St. Stephen St. Colman’s 6pm Altar Servers and Their Families

Sun 27 Dec The Holy Family of

Jesus, Mary & Joseph

St. Colman’s 9.15am Peter & Anna Pragnell

60th Wedding Anniversary and People of the Parish

St Paul’s 11am Intentions of Parishioners at St. Paul’s

Mon 28 Dec The Holy Innocents St. Paul’s 6.30pm Jina Cornick RIP

Tue 29 Dec St. Thomas of Canterbury St. Colman’s 9.15am Bill and Joan Hudson RIP

Wed 30 Dec Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas St. Colman’s 9.15am Thanksgiving to St. Joseph by the

Parish

Thu 31 Dec Seventh Day within the Octave of Christmas St. Colman’s 9.15am George and Molly Schinas RIP

Fri 01 Jan Mary, The Holy Mother of God

St. Colman’s 9.15am Elizabeth and Douglas Renshaw RIP and People of the Parish

St. Paul’s 6.30pm Paul Spiteri RIP & People of the Parish

Sat 02 Jan Ss Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen St. Colman’s 6pm Health Care Professionals and

Key Workers

Sun 03 Jan Second Sunday of

Christmas

St. Colman’s 9.15am Agnes Cox RIP

St Paul’s 11am People of St. Colman’s with St. Paul’s

24th, 25th, 26th & 27th December 2020 Sunday Readings: Year B; Weekdays: Year I; Prayer of the Church: Psalter Week I

St. Colman’s Cosham & St. Paul’s Paulsgrove

Over the last 9 months or so, we have been experiencing the effects of the terrible and devastating global Pandemic. There is so much pain that has been experienced, so much weariness that has accumulated and in spite of it all, so many blessings that have been offered. We have got our Doctors, Nurses and Key Workers, who have shared the story of all that they have been going through. We are all part of the story of suffering grief and pain. We share the pain and suffering of Jesus on the Cross. Many sacrifices have been made throughout this time. During this year as your Parish Priest and friend, I have done my humble best to be always there for you: endeavouring to walk beside you, hoping somehow to ease and share your burdens, be there as a counsellor or simply to listen. It has been a time of prayer, talking, sorrow, many tears – sometimes laughter. It is much we have gone through together. Thank you for your great support. It is remarkable and a testament to the faith of all parishioners how this Parish worked together to be strong. You remained steadfast and strong, taking things as calmly as possible. You gave each other prayerful and practical support. I owe a deep sense of gratitude to all of you for your strength, deep faith and also financial assistance, in keeping everything running smoothly. In the context of the history of the Cosmos, the past months is not so long. For about 13.77 Billion years, God the Almighty, Creator of all that is visible and invisible, planned to send Jesus, his only Son, born of the Virgin Mary, as Emmanuel, God-with-us. After four weeks of preparation in Advent, we are soon going to celebrate nativity of Jesus Our Saviour. The much-loved words of Matthew that are so special to our faith and herald the coming of Our Lord: - “Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel (which means, God with us)”. Martha`s words continue to ring bells in our ears “She said to him “Yes Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” John. We believe in his Presence in a gentle way. Let us continue the journey in good times and not so good, remembering that God will never give us more than we can bear. Let us continue to be obedient and loyal to God and his Kingdom, to share the pain of his suffering on the Cross. I look forward to seeing you at one of the Masses at Christmas. We have army of volunteers and stewards helping us to open the churches. I wish you all Merry Christmas and Prosperous and healthy New Year 2021. I pray you and your loved ones will have a good time. I want to thank everyone of you for all that you do and for adapting to the ever-changing COVID rules and guidelines over this most extraordinary year. I recognise that it has been especially tough on you in so many ways. I will continue to pray for you during this Christmas season and hope that the New Year 2021 will bring you an abundance of God’s gifts and blessing.

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM Fr INNAIAH:

Be Strong and Stay Strong

MERRYCHRISTMASANDHAPPYNEWYEAR:Father Innaiah and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year

PRAYERS: Please remember in your prayers at Christmas and New Year, all of our brothers and sisters who are ill and going through a tough time. We especially ask for your prayers for Tony Whitlock, Pat & Joe Charlton and other parishioners.

YOUR ARRIVAL AT CHURCH FOR OUR CHRISTMAS MASSES: 30 minutes prior to each mass Carols will be played. Masses begin at times advertised

SOCIAL MEDIA: We are currently in the process of increasing our presence on Social Media so please watch this space. Currently we have a new Facebook page up and running but this is a work in progress so bear with us while we finish adding some finishing touches. The address for the Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/StColmansStPaulsParish or search StColmansStPaulsParish We are also in the process of refreshing our website so if there is anything that you would like us to add to either platform then please let us know.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK: “The privileged place for the prayerful reading of sacred Scripture is the liturgy, and particularly the Eucharist, in which, as we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacrament, the word itself is present and at work in our midst. In some sense the prayerful reading of the Bible, personal and communal, must always be related to the Eucharistic celebration. Just as the adoration of the Eucharist prepares for, accompanies and follows the liturgy of the Eucharist, so too prayerful reading, personal and communal, prepares for, accompanies and deepens what the Church celebrates when she proclaims the word in a liturgical setting. By so closely relating lectio and liturgy, we can better grasp the criteria which should guide this practice in the area of pastoral care and in the spiritual life of the People of God” (Pope Benedict XVI Verbum Domini 86).

THANK YOU FROM FATHER INNAIAH: Fr. Innaiah would like to thank you for your Christmas Greetings and Gifts he has received. He is overwhelmed by your Kindness and generosity. Thanks to everyone at our 2 churches who gave their great time and energy- skills and talents to make the Christmas more colourful and prayerful. Our 2 churches are looking beautiful with Crib and flowers.

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Sacrament of Reconciliation will be heard every Saturday at 5.30pm and by appointment at all other times. Please contact the Parish office.

HOLY FAMILY – DAY OF PRAYER FOR THOSE IN SAFEGUARDING MINISTRY: The Feast of the Holy Family is the day we pray for all our safeguarding ministers, representatives and coordinators. On this Feast of the Holy Family, we pray for children and vulnerable adults, for the victims of abuse, and for all who work in the ministry of safeguarding: that as Mary and Joseph created a safe home-environment for the Lord Jesus, so too the Church in all her contexts will be a safe haven for our children and for the vulnerable. V/. Lord hear us. R/. Lord graciously hear us.

YOUR WEEKLY NEWS BULLETIN: Presently Weekly News bulletin is sent to you to your email and on WhatsApp and on Parish website www.stcolmanandstpaul.co.uk. If you have no email or computer, please sign up for your weekly printed bulletin. You will receive one each Mass. All we need to know is your Full Name and which Mass you come. For more information, please ask one of the stewards or Fr. Innaiah. WhatsApp No is: 07515001645 and e-mail scsp@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: Re-starting Monday 4th January and Every Monday thereafter at St. Colman’s, between 10am & 5pm. We invite you to spend an hour with our Lord. If you have an hour free and would like to attend, please contact Meg on 07857750585 who is coordinating it for us. - Meg will sign you up. When we have good response, we may extend Adoration back to 2 days a week. We maintain social distance. Thank you. CV

Parish Priest: Fr Innaiah Maddineni Parish Administrator: Stephen Vernon The Presbytery, St Colman’s Church, St Colman’s Avenue, Cosham, PO6 2JJ Tel: (023)92376151 Email: scsp@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk Website: www.stcolmanandstpaul.co.uk

Parish Safeguarding Rep: Irene Taylor (please contact through the Parish Office) St. Paul’s Church, Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, PO6 4DG

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR: His True Place

At Christmas time we do recall,

The birth of a babe for us all, For every man and women and child

By Him we may be reconciled

Born at Bethlehem in stable poor He is that which we should adore.

Christ is God the Son, holy law He is love and hope to His core

Make this Christmas a time of love Pray that His Spirit, the good dove Will descend on you with his grace So put God first, in his true place.

Composed by Peter Ranson from Ryde

VIVA VOCE: The Christmas edition of the Diocesan magazine Viva Voce is now available. Please pick up your copy the next time you visit the Church