December 133rd Sunday of Advent – fill in “stars” in church
15Tuesday, ,Service of Reconciliation, St. Vincent’s Church
204th Sunday of Advent – “stars” on tree in church
21Monday, ,Service of Reconciliation, St. Anne’s Church
24Christmas Eve
Mass at St. Vincent’s Church
Mass at St. Anne’s Church
25Christmas Day
9:30amMass at St. Anne’s Church
11:00amMass at St. Vincent’s Church
26St. Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day/Saturday)
10:00amMass at St. Vincent’s Church
27Feast of the Holy Family (Sunday)
9:30amMass at St. Vincent’s Church
11:00amMass at St. Anne’s Church
CHRISTMAS MASSES:Envelopes are available at the back of church.Place the names of those you wish to remember in the envelope, place the envelope in the “Gold Box” on the altar.A mass offering is not necessary.
CHRISTMAS LUNCH:On your own on Christmas Day?We would love to have the pleasure of your company for Christmas Lunch. - St. Anne’s Parish Centre, 25th December, lunch served at (Lunch is FREE).To book, please ring 813631
ADVENT 2009:The Archdiocesan Vicariate for Evangelisation with St Cuthbert's CatholicCommunity College, St Helens, has produced a helpful and prayerful resource for Advent. It is called simply the "Sunday Gospel". For each Sunday of Advent and the Christmas season there is a reflective and prayerful version of the Gospel which can be viewed on an iphone, mp3 player or computer. Have a look. There is also a digital Advent Calendar - minus the chocolate, but filled with much tastier surprises. All this can be found on the following web site: www.sundaygospel.co.uk
SUTTON AT CHRISTMAS:SuttonVillageChurch, Wednesday 16th & Thursday17th December, . See poster.
THANK YOU:-Donations of £60 for St. Vincent’s flowers, £100+ for Peru, £5 for Zimbabwe and from the Wishing Well £30 (Zimbabwe)
Cheques for £800 (Peru) & £1950 (Pachacutec) have been sent to the Sisters of the Cross & Passion for their projects in Peru.
13 December, 2009 – Third Sunday of ADVENT (C)
SaturdayA&BGaudete Sunday
SundayV
11:00amA&B CJM Music to share this celebration (only)
A&BBaptisms
MondayA&B
TuesdayV
10:00amA&BFuneral Service - Arthur Chamberlain
10:00amChurch of the Nazarene - Ecumenical service
VReconciliation Service
WednesdayA&BEucharistic Service – Group 4
ThursdayParr Nursing Home
FridayAdamstan House
SaturdayV
A&B4th Sunday of Advent (C),
SundayV
11:00amA&B
Mass Intentions: John & Catherine Cooney, Mary Corley, Leo Jones, John Dolan, John Travers, Winnie & Joe Appleby, Lily Tunstall, John Kearney, John Geraghty, Joey Cattolica, Fr. J. Louis Kenny CSSP, Cyril Winstanley, Hugh Haney, Ben McCabe, Jim Lynch, Peter O’Neil, Holy Souls.
BAPTISM: Welcome, Phoebe Mia Howlett, congratulations Lian & Simon
Finley George Thomas Hunter, congratulations Karen & Darren
Charlie Stephen Millington, congratulations Stephen & Keri
PARTNERSHIP FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE:DECEMBER ACTION ALERT
Let the bells ring, the drums and gongs sound 350 times for climate justice!
Since time immemorial in cultures across the world musical instruments like bells and drums have been used to warn people of imminent danger - but also to call people to religious service, marking important moments in worship and seeking to connect to God.
Sunday 13 December marks the height of the talks at the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen.
At - marking the end of a high profile ecumenical celebration at the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen - all the churches in Denmark will ring their bells, and Christians around the world are invited to echo them by sounding their own bells, shells, drums, gongs or horns 350 times.
We envisage a chain of chimes and prayers stretching in a time-line from the FijiIslands in the South Pacific - where the day first begins and where the effects of climate change are already felt today - to northern Europe and across the globe.
Why 350 times? 350 refers to 350 parts per million: This is the safe upper limit for C02 in our atmosphere according to many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments. For all of human history until about 200 years ago, our atmosphere contained 275 ppm of C02, but now the concentration stands at 390 ppm. Unless we are able to rapidly reduce C02 levels again, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt. By joining hands with Christians around the world we can have a greater impact in order to stop the destruction of God's creation and of human livelihoods.
How can youjoin in? Spend some time in prayer at , alone or with others, in gratitude for the gifts of Creation and in asking for the wisdom and courage to safeguard the environment.
Day one of creation - colour red
Genesis 1, 1-5
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Cries and hopes from the Pacific
Atua! Your Pacific people call out to you, even as the waters continue to rise ... hear our prayer, we who trust in your love!
Atua! Your Pacific people call out to you, even as our land disappears before our eyes ... hear our prayer, we who hope in your love!
Atua! Our strength! Our life! Our love!
50 drum beats
Advent Antiphone
O wisdom, coming forth from the Most High,
filling all creation and reigning to the ends of the earth;
come and teach us the way of truth.
Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.
JOY TO THE WORLD
Today is ‘Gaudete Sunday’, Gaudete meaning ‘joy’. We imagine therefore that the readings are going to put is in a Christmassy, cosy, yuletide sort of mood. Disappointingly, this is not the case. The gospel is about John again giving everyone a hard time and demanding we change our ways. Once again we are reminded that we are awaiting the arrival of Christ, not Father Christmas. We are reminded that ‘joy’ is not about tins of Quality Street, a box wine and a bumper Christmas Radio Times. We are reminded that real joy is about filling life with things that are important, honest and life changing.
In today’s gospel the crowds ask John the Baptist “What must we do?” They wanted to know how best they could prepare for the coming of the Messiah. John starts to dish out some very specific advice “If anyone has two tunics," he says, he must share with the man who has none." To the tax collector and the soldier John advises, "Exact no more than your rate. Be content with your pay."
We live in a relatively wealthy country. We are the proverbial owners of the ‘two cloaks’, yet sharing doesn’t come easily to us. We always imagine that we will share when we have more to share, yet John the Baptist tells us that we must be satisfied with what we having without constantly looking to better our circumstances. We must share in the here and now without waiting to be wealthier. It’s easy to look to others to practice justice, but what could each of us do in our own circles to promote fairness. We applaud those organisations that work to alleviate poverty, but defining our own relationship with God is not about waiting for other people to do something. We have to act in our present circumstance. Promising to do something when we are in better or different circumstances is putting our relationship with God on hold.
The road to salvation and joy begins in the here and now, along the road that lies under our very nose.
ADVENT CAROL SERVICE:"CarmelCollege invites all family, friends and local parishioners to our annual Advent Carol Service on Wednesday 17th December at . A mixture of music, readings and dance, it offers a time of peace and calm, with prayerful reflection on the true meaning of Christmas. Fair Trade goods and Olive Wood carvings from the Holy Land will be available before and after the service. Admission is free, and there will be a retiring collection for "103", The Homeless Centre.
BINGO:Monday 14th December, at St. Anne’s School ‘Pensioners’ Bingo’
ST.ANNE’S SCHOOL:- The children are putting on two performances for parents in church. Tuesday 15th December and Wednesday 16th December.
DID YOU KNOW …..Christmas Carols Were Once Banned
Christmas carols were banned between 1647 and 1660 in England by Oliver Cromwell, who thought that Christmas should be a solemn day. The tradition of carol singers going from door to door came about because they were banned from churches in the Middle Ages.