Weekly Celebrations

VigilsHoly RosarySacred Heart

5.30 pm6.30 pm

Dragone & Valente FamiliesPeople of the Parish

Sun8th Jan

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORDSt Bede’sSt Gregory’sSs Peter & PaulSt Oswald’sSt Bede’s

9.30 am 9.30 am 10.30 am 11.00 am 5.00 pm

John & Mary ConnollyPeople of the ParishTommy GibsonWell being of Bob & Cathy SpinksPeople of the Parish & Cluster

Mon9th Jan

The Baptism of the LordSt Oswald’sHoly Rosary

9.00 am 10.00 am

Bill CarraharThomas Collins (Snr)

Tues10th Jan

WeekdayHoly RosarySt Oswald’sSs Peter & PaulSt Gregory’s

No Mass 10.00 am 10.00 am 6.30 pm

In Thanksgiving (AP)Private IntentionFr Richard Kinlen (DMcM)

Wed11th

Jan

St Aelred of Rievaulx Sacred HeartSs Peter & PaulSt. Bede’s

10.00 am 10.00 am 12.00 pm

Moiragh RobsonWell being of Norma RichardsonBulman Family Living & Deceased

Thurs12th

Jan

St Benet BiscopSt Bede’sSacred HeartSt Vincent’sSs Peter & Paul

No Mass 10.00 am 10.00 am 7.00 pm

Matt & Theresa PallisterAnne SeymourPriest’s Intentions

Fri13th

Jan

Weekday St Oswald’sSt Gregory’sHoly Rosary

9.30 am 10.00 am 12.00 pm

Brendan BoothPriest’s IntentionsMichael Connolly

Sat14th

Jan

WeekdaySt Bede’sSt Gregory’s

10.00 am 10.00 am

John & Ella Byrne & Dec’d MembersDavid Sultman

Vigils Holy RosarySacred Heart

5.30 pm6.30 pm

Audrey Gardner (RIP)Tommy Gibson

Sun15th Jan

2nd Sunday of the Year St Bede’sSt Gregory’sSs Peter & PaulSt Oswald’sSt Bede’s

9.30 am 9.30 am

10.30 am 11.00 am 5.00 pm

James RobsonPeople of the ParishIan WhalePeople of the ParishPeople of the Parish & Cluster

Cluster Parishes www.cpsswb.weebly.com

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD 8TH JANUARY 201720 + C + M + B + 17

The contrast is overwhelming: Herod, the King of the Jews, the nation prepared since all ages to welcome the coming of God to set all things right, fails to recognise the coming of the Lord. Herod is so blind as even to make every attempt to liquidate this herald of the completion of history and of Jewish hopes. By contrast the trio of wise men from the East, the traditional home of natural wisdom, show their conviction that the turning-point of history has arrived by journeying over desert and mountain to welcome and pay homage to the Lord. The evangelist is clear that this is the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of peoples from the East to worship to the Lord. Especially in eastern Christianity, the festival of the Epiphany rather than the birthday of Jesus is seen as the manifestation of Christ to the world. ‘Manifestation’ is the meaning of the Greek word ‘Epiphany’: it was first used of the public ‘manifestation’ of the Roman emperor on a state visit, for he was regarded as a deity to whom worship and adoration were due. Which is the most important day for you, Christmas or Epiphany?

Holy Rosary & St Bede’sE-mail: rosarybede@gmail.com Office: Wednesday and Friday 9.30 am - Noon

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament : St Bede’s Saturday 9 - 10.00am Rosary: before Wednesday 12.00noon MassSacrament Of Reconciliation (Confessions) St Bede’s Sat 10.30 - 11.00 am Holy Rosary Sat 5.00 - 5.30 pmSick: Please pray for Hazel Prowse,Michael Dawson, Carol Dawson, Michelle Greatrex, Mary Clarke, Robert Scott, Gloria Dearden, Terry Wales, Jean White, Vivienne Scott, Tony Manson, Marian Sykes, Monica Kippax, Eric Walker, Poppy Cox, Fr Leo Coughlin, Christopher Phillips, Laura Morland (Snr) Ruth Lynch, Bridie Weymes and Sharon Hutchinson.

RIP: Please pray for all who have died recently. “Those who die in grace go no further from us than GOD and He is very near.” St Bonaventure.

White Flower Appeal: (SPUC) The Society for Protection of Unborn Children will be holding its annual appeal today Sun 8th January. Please be as generous as you can to help save mothers and babies from abortion.

Holiday: Fr Michael is on holiday from 9th-13th Jan. If you need a priest in his absence contact Fr John or Fr Robert, telephone number on front page of newsletter.

CAFOD Emergency Appeal for Yemen: Thank you for your generous support, St Bede’s raised £760.15 and Holy Rosary £282.45.

Holy Rosary: Tea & Toast after Tues morning Mass. Soup Lunch after Fri midday Mass. Come and join us.

Prayer Group: every Wednesday at 2.00 pm 172 Bamburgh Ave. Scripture, Praise & Intercessory Prayer. Please Join Us.

St Bede’s Coffee Rota: Anyone willing to join the rota for Sunday Coffees? It only takes half an hour to set up before Mass and all finished by 11.15am every 7-8 weeks!!!

Communion Programme: Session 4 Sun 15th Jan 9.30 am in St Bede’s church, children’s class immediately after Mass, concluding liturgy 11.00 am for all.

Christian Unity: the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity is from the18 th to the 25th

of January, St Bede’s will begin the Week of Prayer with a Service on Wed 18 th Jan at 12.30 pm.

20 + C + M + B + 17“May the Lord point out for you the right road ahead and may the blessing of Christ remain with you throughout the coming year.” I have placed this blessing on both church exits; maybe you might want to place it also over the door of your home too. “May the star of Bethlehem which shone brightly over the house where the Magi found the Christ child stand guard over us, filling us and all the earth with light and peace. Amen”

What are we prepared to give up for the Gospel? Do we try to make our own cross, or accept whatever we are given? To give up all your possessions is to make yourself vulnerable and dependant. This gospel teaching could cause all kinds of problems between families, friends and colleagues. St Paul, in putting himself in the place of the slave, Onesimus, is encouraging the church leader, Philemon, to do what is right. But his words are equally for us today. We have the example of many such as Maximilian Kolbe who took the place of a man condemned to death in a concentration camp. We are called to lose our comfort zones, our assumed places and see each human being through the `lens’ of the gospel message of freedom and dignity. We follow Jesus, that through his Paschal Mystery, He may lead us out of the world of selfishness and violence we have made, into a new heaven and new earth, where all is shaped by the generous and merciful ways of his Father.

STEP 1: RELAX & REMEMBER: Remember that through this scripture our Lord is truly present. Read the Gospel, pay attention to any words that stand out & meditate on them for a few minutes and be invited into a dialogue with God.

2: READ THE GOSPEL: Wise Men from the East (Matthew 2:1-12) After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel”.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said, ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.STEP 3: REFLECT: See front page for Reflection

STEP 4: RESPOND & REQUEST: Now slowly and prayerfully read the Gospel once again but this time in silence. Consider how this Gospel could apply to your life in general. Then thank God for any insight you may have received.

FIVE HELPS FOR THE NEW YEAR

1. Thank God, often and always. Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow. 2. Take care about confession of your sins. As time passes the habit of being critical grows more than each of us realize.3. Be ready to accept humiliations, they can hurt terribly but they can help to keep you humble. All these can be so many chances to be a little nearer to our Lord. 4. Do not worry about status. There is only one status that Our Lord bids us be concerned with, and that is our proximity to Him. "If a man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am there also shall my servant be". (John 12:26) 5. Use your sense of humour. Laugh at things, laugh at the absurdities of life, and laugh at yourself. Through the year people will thank God for you, and let the reason for their thankfulness be not just that you were a person whom they liked or loved but because you made God real to them. Bishop Ramsey

Sacred Heart St. Oswald’s

For further notices or for more info Please see the notice board

C ycle of Prayer In the time leading up to Lent, we are asked to pray for these intentions: Peace on Earth; Christian Unity; The Sick and Those Who Care for Them; Victims of Trafficking and Those who Work to Combat it; the Unemployed.The Pope’s Mission Intention January: that all Christians may be faithful to the Lord’s teaching by striving with prayer and fraternal charity to restore ecclesial communion and by collaborating to meet challenges facing humanity.Emergency Appeal CAFOD: Yemen’s civil war is now in its 2nd year. The UN estimates that the conflict has killed more than 10,000 people with 6,000 killed this year alone and more than 7 million do not know where their next meal will come from. CAFOD and its partners are providing food, water, care and shelter. Please help us in responding to this crisis. Donations can be placed in an envelope marked CAFOD Yemen Appeal, Cheques payable to CAFOD. Hand in asap.

1st: Churches Together South Shields has awarded us RC’s first prize, as the most visited Church Website, there are more people viewing our page than any other church page in the town.

STARCH: drop in at 1.00 pm on Tue at Living Waters, Laygate. All donations will be gratefully accepted.  We have been asked for bicycles, small digital TV’s, computers, household goods, two chest of drawers, two wardrobes, clothing.

Thank you: to all who supported our coffee day at Bensham Court, £425.93 was raised for Fr Keaney’s Mission in Tanzania.

De La Salle: next Youth Mass is on Wed 18th Jan at 7.00 pm in St Gregory’s.  

Christian Unity: the annual Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18th-25th Jan.

De La Salle: Youth pilgrimage to Lourdes 27th May – 3rdJune £395 fully inclusive of all travel, full board accommodation and 3 excursions. There are still 7 places left for young people from any school. Details on De la Salle website or email delasalless@yahoo.co.uk

Flame Congress: On Sat 11th March a group of 1,000 young people and accompanying adults from our Diocese will be travelling to Flame at Wembley Arena. Flame is a National Youth Congress with inspiring speakers and music from Matt Redman. Coaches will be leaving from every part of the Diocese. There are still places left for young people Yr 9 and above and Adults. If you would like to go please contact YMT for further details. E-Mail admin@ymt.org or telephone 01207 592244

Blessing of the Three Kings: 20 + C + M + B + 17 Place this blessing near your front door, it ends Christmas by asking the Christ Child to bless your home throughout 2017. The three initials are the names of the three Kings; Casper, Melchior, Balthazar but also ask a blessing: Christus Mansionem Benedicat – May Christ Bless this House.

Confessions: Saturday 6.00–6.30 pm. Hymns: 167, 723, 651, 722. Psalm: 919.Please pray for: Prof. Paul Younger, Fr John Gibbons, Leo Hardy, Ronnie Phelps, Kurt Patterson, Carol Hannen, Hazel Watson, Eileen Martin, Jessie Gray, Patricia McKeag, Janet Hymers, baby Evie Noble, Doris Boddy Mandy Betts and all the sick in St Benedict’s, St Clare’s Hospices and all those in South Tyneside Hospital. If there is anyone ill or housebound and not being visited, please inform John Hardy.

ROTAS 7th January 14th JanuaryReaders: P. Arthurs, J. Ashman, M. Oliver F. Totton, V. Green, S. RodgerMinisters: J. Hardy D.McNally A. Shippen D. SmithB. Prayers: M. Kent J. TaylorCounters: Miss C. Smith Mr D. Totton Mr and Mrs Tierney

Could you or you and a friend visit an isolated, lonely lady in Leander Court or Willowbank Court? See Jane Arthurs for more details. Food Aid: there is a box at the back of church for donations of food or money. Maureen Hunter continues to collect stamps for Cystic Fibrosis. Anniversaries:8th – 14th January: Margaret Fitzsimmons, Ellen Dutton, Margaret Rose Whitfield, John McDonald, John McKenna, Michael Paul Jennings, Frank Durnan, Winifred Potts, Thomas Cotcher, Isabella Duffy, Patricia Scott, Monica Telford.

If you wish to add anything to the bulletin for December please contact Myris on 07956 068156 by Tuesday evening

ST OSWALD’S

Anniversaries : Monica Telford, Eileen McNichol, Walter Carter, James Moss, Alison McGhee, Elizabeth Rowley, Margaret McCaffrey & Josie Carr.

Please pray for: Carmel Doherty, Margaret Wilson, Leo Hardy, Doreen Carrahar, Rosemary Cox, Eva Todd, Bob Spinks, Cathy Spinks, John Elrick and all the sick and housebound.

This week (8 Jan): Eucharistic Ministers: I. Pattison, M. Burke, P. Brown.

Reader: N. McKie. Bidding Prayers: M. Kent.

Next week (15 Jan): Eucharistic Ministers: T. Brown, J. Taylor, J. Bannon.

Reader: A. Hutton. Bidding Prayers: M. Ellenden.

Notices & Intentions: Catherine Slater 5369248 / Teresa Featherstone 5374285.

100 Club: Winning number for week 51 – No.76 A. Hutton.

St Gregory’s & St Vincent’s saintgregorysouthshields@yahoo.co.uk 0191 4560724 (Mon, Thurs., Fri morning)

HartonSt Gregory

& St Vincent Cleadon Whitburn