8/14/2019 Parish Newsletter 8th February 2009

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St Simon Stock Catholic ChurchBrookfield Road, South Ashford, Kent TN23 4EUTel: 01233 622399

Parish Priest: Fr John Boyle

Saint Simon of England RC Primary School,Noakes Meadow, Ashford, TN23 2RB. Tel: 01233 623199Head teacher: Mrs Elizabeth Willis

Email: parish@stsimon.org.uk; Web: www.stsimon.org.uk;Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/; diocesan website: www.rcsouthwark.co.uk

8th FEBRUARY 2009

FIFTH SUNDAY IN

ORDINARY TIME

YEAR B

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS

Sunday 8

th

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)Education Sunday10.00am Mass (Danny Kelly RIP)12.00 noon Mass (Extraordinary form, Latin, 1962 Missal,

Septuagesima Sunday)6.00pm Mass (For the people of the parish)Monday 9

th

6.45pm Mass (For the good health of Gertie Casey)Tuesday 10

th

St. Scholastica, virgin9.00am Mass (Derek Oldham RIP) followed by Divine Mercy

Chaplet & Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament until10.00am.

Wednesday 11th

Our Lady of Lourdes (World Day of the Sick)9.30am Mass (Ann Waldners intentions)

St. Simons School Years 3 & 4 attendingThursday 12

th

Seven Holy Founders of the Order of the Servants of theBlessed Virgin Mary6.45pm Mass (Extraordinary form, Latin, 1962 Missal)

(Thanksgiving)Friday 13

th

6.45pm Mass (Victor Dore-Boize RIP)Saturday 14

th

SS Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop, patron of Europe,feast9.00am Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

10.00am Mass (Pat Salmon RIP)Sunday 15

th

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)10.00am Mass (Fr. Johns intentions)6.00pm Mass (For the people of the parish)

CONFESSIONS/CONSULTATIONSSaturday: 10.30am, Sunday 9.30am, 5.30pm.Weekdays: before or after Mass upon request.

CHURCH CLEANING13

thSheila; 20

thSue; 27

thSue; March 6

thTara; 13

thBridie

COLLECTIONS LAST SUNDAYOffertory: 305.06, (Gift Aid: 141.00, loose plate: 164.06) +99 approx by standing order. To contribute by regular standingorder please ask for a form. If you are a tax payer and are notalready using the Gift Aid scheme, please ask for a Gift Aid form.Second collection: Parish Maintenance & Development Fund:71.94. Thank you. Second collection today: CatholicEducation. Next Sunday: Parish Maintenance & DevelopmentFund.

CRIB OFFERINGSThank you for your kind offerings at the Crib which totalled162.31. This will be sent to the Good Counsel Network to assisttheir work in helping women to keep their children rather thanopting for abortion.

READERS &EXTRA-ORDINARY MINISTERS OF COMMUNION

Please pick up your rota for February and March.COUNTERS

Please pick up your counters rota for February May

TODAYS MASS TEXTS

Entrance Antiphon: Ps 94:6-7Come, let us worship the Lord. Let us bow down in thepresence of our maker, for he is the Lord our God.

First Reading: Job 7:1-4.6-7Restlessly I fret till twilight falls.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 146R: Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Alleluia! Praise the Lord for he is good;sing to our God for he is loving:

to him our praise is due. (R)

The Lord builds up Jerusalem and brings back Israels exiles,he heals the broken-hearted, he binds up all their wounds.He fixes the number of the stars;he calls each one by its name. (R)

Our Lord is great and almighty;his wisdom can never be measured.The Lord raises the lowly;he humbles the wicked to the dust. (R)

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19.22-23I should be punished if I did not preach the Gospel.

Gospel Acclamation: John 8:12Alleluia, alleluia! I am the light of the world, says the Lord,anyone who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39He cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind oranother.

Preface of Sunday 3, Eucharistic Prayer 1Communion Antiphon: Ps 106:8-9Give praise to the Lord for his kindness, for his wonderfuldeeds towards men. He has filled the hungry with goodthings, he has satisfied the thirsty.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICKPlease pray for Jean Borucki, Sarah Shinn and all our sickparishioners. If you know of anyone who needs our prayers atthe present time, please place their names in the box in theChurch foyer.

SISTER CATHERINESister is recovering well from her operation, making progress.

ALTAR SERVERS DAY NEXT SUNDAYThere will be an altar servers reunion next Sunday from 2.00pmending with the evening Mass. Any servers who have not yetsigned up please join those who have already. Thanks to thosewho have volunteered to help more adults welcome.

MONTHLY PRAYER REQUESTS FOR PRIESTSPlease pick up the revised list for February and the list for Marchfrom the table in the foyer. It is most important that priests beencouraged by the knowledge that they are being supported bythe prayers of the faithful.

DIVINE MERCY HOUSE PRAYER GROUPA group of parishioners meets roughly once a month. You arewelcome to join the group tomorrow at 16 Graveley Field,

Singleton. Arrivals from 10.00am. Finish approx. 11.30. Prayerand social. Contact Teresa Davies 625799.

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FROM FATHER JOHNS DESKTOPOn 24

thJanuary the Holy Father revoked the excommunications which the four bishops of the Society of St Pius X

(SSPX) incurred automatically when they were ordained by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without the requiredpontifical mandate. The furore surrounding the views of one of these bishops concerning the holocaust has ratherovershadowed what was intended to be seen as a merciful act enabling the process of eventual reunion of the SSPX withthe Catholic Church to begin. I reproduce here a recent statement from Cardinal Sean O Malley, Archbishop of Boston,which explains the situation rather well. (from http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/01/30/it-is-never-too-late-to-arise/)

Hello to you all! The Vatican announced this week that the Holy Father has lifted the excommunications of fourbishops of the Society of St. Pius X. I was pleased with the news which shows, once a gain, the Holy Fathers concern forunity and reconciliation in the Church

This action follows the publication of the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificuma year and a half ago, in which

the Holy Father lifted previous restrictions on the celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Missal, commonly knownas the Tridentine Mass. Just before the publication of the Apostolic Letter, I was privileged to be a part of a meeting ofcardinals and bishops with the Holy Father in which he expressed his hope that his action would help convince thosedisaffected Catholics to return to full union with the Catholic Church. So, his outreach to the communities who follow thesebishops is just one more manifestation of his ardent desire to bring these people (which some estimate to be as many as1.5 million) back into the fold. We know that these are generally people who practise their faith and try to live a Christianlife seriously but, unfortunately, I believe that they have been misled by their leadership.

Of course, lifting the excommunications was a first step; it does not regularize these bishops or the Society of St.Pius X, but it opens the way for a dialogue. This step was in response to a letter in which they professed their desire forfull participation in the life of the Church.

It was tragic that one of the four bishops, Bishop Richard Williamson, had made outrageous statements about theHolocaust and about the September 11 attacks on the United States. It certainly raises questions as to the calibre of theleadership that the Society has. Additionally, as terrible as the comments were, it underscores the importance for the Holy

Father to have increasing influence over those communities.We are very sorry that the people in the Jewish community have been so pained and outraged by Bishop

Williamsons statements. I think the Holy Fathers statements and those of Cardinal Walter Kasper, chairman of thePontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, have been very clear to dissociate the Catholic Church fromthose kinds of sentiments. I was pleased that the head of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, alsorepudiated the statements of Bishop Williamson.It is very important for us to always remember the Holocaust so that suchan atrocity could never take place again. I recall the words of the Holy Father this week: May the Shoah be for everyonean admonition against oblivion, negation and reductionism, because violence against a single human being is violenceagainst all.Fr John

To catch up on previous newsletters visit http://www.stsimon.org.uk/Newsletters/. Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/

REGULAR EVENTS COME ALONG!DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP

after the 9.00am Mass on Tuesdays. Prayers ofintercession for various needs and silent

adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till 10am.MUSIC PRACTICE TUESDAYS 7.30PM

Newcomers always welcome.

BIBLE STUDY THURSDAYS 7.30PMStudying St Pauls letters to the Corinthians andPope Benedicts Wednesday audiences on St

Paul.

EVANGELIUM CATHOLIC FAITH ENQUIRYFor all, Catholic or not, who would like to deepen theirknowledge of the Catholic faith. Next meeting: 7.15pm thisFriday 13

thFebruary. Topic: The Trinity

VOCATIONS RETREAT FOR WOMEN

for women aged 18-30 considering the religious life from Friday13th to Sunday 15thFebruary at St. Josephs Priory, Lymington.For more information, contact the Diocesan Vocations Office:info@southwarkvocations.com

HELPERS OF GODS PRECIOUS INFANTS VIGILThe next vigil at the Marie Stopes abortion facility in Maidstonewill be on Tuesday 17

thFebruary led by Father Raphael CFR

(Franciscan Friar of the Renewal) from 10.30 to 12 noon. Seenotice board for details.

MASS IN CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OFMATRIMONY WITH ARCHBISHOP KEVIN MCDONALD AT

AYLESFORD PRIORY 3PM SATURDAY 30TH

MAYArchbishop Kevin is celebrating this Mass and wants to speciallyinvite all couples and their families in the Diocese who are

celebrating their, 1st, 10th, 25th, 40th, 50th and 60th+ weddinganniversary this year. One couple celebrating forty years hasalready requested an invitation. Please let Fr. John know if youqualify for a special anniversary invitation.

TODAY EDUCATION SUNDAYIn 1997 the Congregation for Catholic Education published ashort document entitled The Catholic School on the Thresholdof the Third Millennium.

In it we are reminded that parish and diocesancommunities must devote special care to education and schoolssince, in the Catholic school, one can meet young people in anenvironment which favours their Christian formation. The schoolfulfils its vocation to be a genuine experience of Church only if ittakes its stand within the organic pastoral work of the Christiancommunity.

Speaking of the calling of teachers, we read: Teachinghas an extraordinary moral depth and is one of man s mostexcellent and creative activities, for the teacher does not write oninanimate material, but on the very spirits of human beingsTeachers and educators fulfil a specific Christian vocation andshare an equally specific participation in the mission of theChurch, to the extent that it depends chiefly on them whether the

Catholic school achieves its purpose.Mrs Elizabeth Willis, headteacher of our parish primaryschool, will say a few words today about Catholic Education andthe vocation of school teachers. Teaching our young people isboth challenging and a privilege, forming the next generation ofcitizens and passing on the Catholic faith, a vocation/careerworth considering by all young men and women.

Mr Ferdi McDermott, Principal of ChavagnesInternational College in France, has asked if he may mount adisplay about the college in the church hall for parishioners tovisit after Mass. Please feel free to take a look. Further detailsabout the school at www.chavagnes.org.

PARISH FINANCESI intend to give a review of the parishs financial situation at all

Masses on Sunday 22

nd

February. Fr John.