BULLETIN
29
OCTOBER 2006
THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR 2
CHURCH SERVICES
|
Saturday
28 October | Confession
on request from 4.30 to 5.15 pm Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm |
|
Sunday
29 October | Sunday
Mass at 10.00 am Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon |
|
Monday
30 October | Mass at 10.00 am for Tommy Mulhern |
| Tuesday
31 October | Mass
at 10.00 am for Frank Loy Vigil Mass for the Feast of All Saints at 7.00 pm |
|
Wednesday
1 November | Feast
of All Saints Mass at 10.00 am for Daniel Brown Mass at 7.00 pm |
| Thursday
2 November | Mass at 7.00 pm for the Holy Souls |
|
Friday
3 November | Mass at 10.00 am for George Wilson |
| Saturday
4 November | Mass at 10.00 am for the Holy Souls |
PARISH
CENTRE EVENTS
| Sunday
29 October | 10.00
am 10.00 am 11.00 am 1.00 pm |
Children's Liturgy |
| Monday
30 October | 8.00
pm 9.00 to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.30 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 2.00 to 3.00 pm 5.30 to 6.30 pm 6.30 to 8.00 pm 7.00 7.00 to 8.00 pm |
Wrap-around Care for
3 to 5 year olds |
|
Tuesday
31 October |
8.00 to 5.30 pm |
Wrap-around Care for
3 to 5 year olds |
|
Wednesday
1 November |
8.00 to 5.30 pm | Wrap-around
Care for 3 to 5 year olds Nursery Kindergarten Nursery Street Dance for 13 to 18 year olds Burakudo Karate Club Special Religious Development (SPRED) Ignatian Prayer Group Primary Four Parents Music Ministry |
|
Thursday
2 November | 8.00
to 5.30 pm 9.00 to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.00 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 2.00 to 3.00 pm 6.00 to 7.30 pm 6.00 to 8.00 pm 7.30 to 9.00 pm | Wrap-around
Care for 3 to 5 year olds Nursery Kindergarten Nursery Cardiac Rehabilitation Brownies Italian Class Girl Guides |
| Friday
3 November | 8.00
to 5.30 pm 9.00 to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.30 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm | Wrap-around
Care for 3 to 5 year olds Nursery Parents and Toddlers Nursery |
PRAYERS
Please
remember in your prayers:
Tom Adamson who died recently;
Mary
Brodie 1997, Daniel Mathieson 1962, Bill Moore 1989,
William
Delahunt 1986, John Martin 1979, Daniel Brown 1988,
Thomas
Kilbane 1984, Hugh McKay 1982, Eileen Taylor 2005,
Elizabeth
Anne Tait 2004, Sarah Sammons 1970, Teresa Kelly 1978
and
Ian McNamara
1979 whose
anniversaries occur at this time;
Helena Theresa Holmes and
Sean Joseph Holmes who were baptised recently;
and those
who are sick.
SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted
to £592.97 - many thanks.
Banker's Orders amount to an average of £4000
per month. Each month £4000 is repaid to the Diocese for the building loan
and levy.
MISSION
SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection
for the Missions amounted to £742.21 - many thanks.
BANKER'S ORDERS
Paying your collection by monthly or quarterly banker's order makes money handling
much safer. Banker's Order forms are available in the porch.
FEAST OF ALL
SAINTS
Wednesday is the Feast Of All Saints and is a Holyday of Obligation.
There will be a Vigil Mass on Tuesday at 7.00 pm and Masses on Wednesday at 10.00
am and 7.00 pm.
PARISH SOCIAL
The next Parish Social is An
Evening of Fun and Scottish Folk Music on Saturday 25 November at 8 pm. The
main entertainer will be Stephen Quigg, a former parishioner. As well as being
a member of one of Scotland's foremost folk groups, The McCalmans, Stephen is
an accomplished and popular solo singer. Michael McCulloch and George McGrattan
will also sing as a duo. There will be a bar, food, a quiz, laughter and time
for blethering. Tickets, costing £4, are available from Kate or Donna.
THURSDAY
CLUB
Many thanks to all who supported the Thursday
Club's Coffee Morning. The total raised was £1016
MASS ATTENDANCE
CENSUS
There will be a Mass Attendance Census all Masses next weekend.
GALLOWAY
LOURDES HOSPITALITÉ
The Fiftieth Anniversary Ceilidh of Galloway Lourdes
Hospitalité will take place on Friday 3 November at 7.30 pm in the Park
Hotel, Kilmarnock. Tickets cost £10 and include a buffet.
BRITISH
HOSPITALITÉ NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES REUNION
The British Hospitalité
Notre Dame de Lourdes will have a reunion on Saturday 4 November. There will be
Mass in Saint Joseph's Church, Kilmarnock at 11.30 am and a Dinner Dance at 7.00
pm in the Park Hotel, Kilmarnock. Tickets cost £35.
CONCERT
There
will be a concert in aid of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
in Saint Winin's Church
Hall, Kilwinning on Saturday 4 November from 7.30 to 11.30 pm. There will be a
light supper and bar. Tickets cost £5 and £4 for concessions.
SAINT
PETER'S WEBSITE - OLD BULLETINS
Visitors to Saint Peter's website may have
noticed that it contains every bulletin for the past eighteen months and at least
one for each year from 1960 to 1995. It would be good to include the missing years.
If you have an old bulletin, perhaps kept as a souvenir of a family event, it
could be used to 'fill the gap'. If you can lend a bulletin issued between 1996
and 2004, please contact WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterinChains.net.
Bulletins will be returned promptly.
CLOSURE
OF SAINT ANDREW'S ACADEMY 1971-2007
Various events are being planned to celebrate
the life of the school including an exhibition/photographic display. Do you have
any photographs of pupils, events, staff or the school building? Please send them
for the attention of Mr Peter Timmons at Saint Andrew's Academy or hand them into
the school office. Please label the photos and add name and address of owner for
safe return.
MUSIC
MINISTRY EVENING
There will be a Music Ministry Evening on Thursday 9 November
at Smithstone House, Kilwinning from 6.45 to 9.00 pm. The first part of the evening
will be a discussion on 'Practicalities of Parish Music' led by Bishop Taylor,
followed by a session on music for Advent. The cost is £5. Refreshments
will be provided. If you are interested in attending, contact Michael McCulloch.
ASSOCIATION
OF THE PROPAGATION OF THE FAITH
Envelopes are available at the stall for ordinary
and family members of the Association of the Propagation of the Faith.
NOVEMBER
LISTS
November Lists are available at the stall. Please take one and return
to the basket at the Blessed Sacrament
Chapel.
ANNUAL
MASS FOR THE BEREAVED
The annual Mass for the Bereaved will be celebrated on
Wednesday 15 November at 7.00 pm. Saint
Anne's Guild will provide tea and coffee in the Parish Centre afterwards.
CEMETERY
MASS
The annual Mass for the Deceased will be celebrated in Ardrossan Cemetery
on Sunday 19 November at 2.00 pm.
BOOK
OF THE DEAD
During the month of November, the Book of the Dead will be in front
of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Please
add the names of your deceased family and friends.
UPDATE
FOR OCTOBER - FATHER MATT
HOLIDAY
I hope
you noticed I was away from home! I had two weeks in California staying with family
members. The weather was warm and sunny with no rain.
On the first Sunday we
had a family Mass for an aunt of 93 who died since I was last there. The following
Sunday we again had a family get-together and baptised Juan José, a little
South American boy who has been adopted into the family. I caught up with the
cousins I have married and got an invitation to marry the next in line, Dr Jim,
next year. Whether or not I can go depends on Ardrossan Weddings - which come
first. One of my cousins has split from her husband -a source of much pain and
discussions in the family, with everyone wanting to help, yet feeling helpless.
I had a good holiday and managed a little time to myself. I am grateful to Father
John Maendeleo and Father John
McLean for covering for me - but there were 174 emails and almost as many letters
waiting to be answered when I got back on Wednesday.
MUSIC MINISTRY
All
of those who give their time to the music in church do so voluntarily. Father
Lynch, God rest him, was anxious to have a choir and well-organised liturgical
music - as am I - so he employed and paid Gordon as Musical Director of the Parish.
Gordon did good work but he has moved on. I am anxious that we do not lose our
momentum and am willing to meet the salary cost of a successor to Gordon. If you
are or know of a suitable candidate, I would be grateful to hear from you. In
the meantime I know that our trusty band of volunteers will ensure the dignity
of the Sunday Masses.
FUNDRAISING FOR THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
We
have had some generous donations. I will continue to list them anonymously in
the bulletin together with the total. I was a bit disappointed that the first
of our fundraising suppers - an Italian Night - in the presbytery was not too
well attended but it was a splendid night and we will continue with the idea over
the winter. The meal costs £25 for all courses and wines, etc - and I hope
we can make a profit of £10 per setting - since the cooking and serving
are being donated. I am happy to have your ideas. The stained glass panel and
its back-lighting for the back wall of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel will cost
several thousand pounds. The idea is to have a Last Supper theme based on the
door of the original tabernacle of the church. Some of the donations which have
come in have been in memory of deceased family members. I would be happy to mention
names on the bulletin if you request it, but would prefer to have no plaque on
the panel when it is made.
TALKING
OF SUPPERS
By mid-November, I hope to have completed the supper invitations
to the Readers, Eucharistic Ministers and those who look after the church and
Parish Centre. I know that they were appreciated because you told me. I hope to
have the members of the Ardrossan Churches Group and the Ministers to supper this
week. We have had several events for the deanery priests so far and hope to have
more. It was the supper for the Cardinal, the deanery priests and guests on Saint
Peter's Feast that encouraged me to set about the 'Thank You Suppers' and the
fundraisers. It seems pointless to have a room that can seat about 25 and not
use it so I hope you will consider supporting the venture.
POLISH FAMILIES
The
Catholic Education Commission has issued a leaflet in Polish to inform new arrivals
to the country about our Catholic schools and how to enrol children. A copy is
provided here and there is one on the notice board in the church.
COMMITTEES
I
continue to serve as the Chairman of the Ayrshire and Arran NHS Ethics Committee
and we have recently been 'reviewed' and gained a three year accreditation - no
mean feat for a small committee, but it took a lot of hard work. I also serve
on the NHS National Ethics Committee reviewing drug trials and practice in Scottish
NHS GP Practices and hospitals. I serve on the Chief Medical Officers' Specialist
Group on the use of Information in the Health Service. The jobs are unpaid, take
a lot of reading time and monthly meetings but are very important in a hidden
kind of way.
CHOOSE LIFE
I am trying to find the time to continue my
membership of the North Ayrshire 'Choose Life' Group - part of the National Strategy
to reduce the tragedy of suicide but it meets on a Friday at 10.00 am, our Mass
time.
VISITS
Our schools, Assemblies in Saint Peter's and James McFarlane
schools, our sick parishioners, the Sunday homily and other parish duties are
the first priority and I am grateful to those who have assisted me in getting
the parish records back on track and have asked for a visit. If you have asked
and I haven't got round to it, please ask again.
FATHER
JOHN
Father John is on loan to us from the East African Province of the
Holy Ghost Fathers. He is due to work in a Mission to African Refugees in Turin,
Italy but there is a delay in getting the project started and in getting work
permits for the priests who will work there. Father John has a Visitors Visa for
the UK and is able to reside here in the meantime. Any work he does here is voluntary.
He has his keep and is happy to be here. Presently he is learning Italian, - thanks
to those who are assisting him - and covering for me as well as assisting in the
neighbouring parishes. His help is invaluable. I know you are making him welcome
and that you will help him in any way you can. Father John has no transport and
is grateful to those who have offered him a lift.
SAINT MATTHEW'S ACADEMY
The
new school building is beginning to take shape. Saint Matthew's Academy will come
into existence on two sites in August next year and will move to the new building
after the October break. Work is progressing to ensure that the two schools, Saint
Michael's and Saint Andrew's, merge with as little disruption as possible to staff
and pupils. Not everyone welcomes the idea but it is the best hope for continuing
Catholic Education in this area for the next twenty-five years and offers the
pupils and community splendid new resources as well as challenges. Pupils, staff
and future pupils - those in the primary schools- are busy designing a badge and
uniform for the school. Wearing the uniform will be required of all the pupils
in Saint Matthew's. The motto of the school has been chosen: 'Lux Mundi.' It means
'Light of the World' and comes from Saint Matthew's Gospel where Jesus says "You
are the Light of the World" as opposed to "I am the Light of the World"
quoted in the other Gospels. Symbols of Saint Matthew, the badge and the motto
will form art works to be displayed in the new building. There is work is going
ahead with the design of the School Oratory or Chapel and its furnishing. I am
very happy that Father Jim Hayes, assisted by Father Mark Kelly, will be the chaplain
to the school and I continue as Chair of the Saint Matthew's School Board, as
a member of the North Ayrshire Education Committee and the Bishop's representative
in approving all teaching posts in Catholic schools in North Ayrshire.
BAPTISMS
Baptism
should be celebrated on a Sunday. I am happy to accept a Saturday if that is required.
Again, Baptism is a celebration of the whole Christian Community and ideally it
should be at Sunday Mass - as Confirmation and First Communion are - but I realise
that is not always possible and am happy to celebrate Baptism on a Sunday afternoon.
Godparents - at last one - should be Catholic since they represent the community
into which the child is being welcomed. You are very good at it but please continue
to give me as much notice as possible. If you have children not yet baptised -
and I know these things can happen - please get in touch and we can arrange something.
WEDDINGS
The
Bishops have again insisted that weddings must take place in church since the
wedding of a Catholic is a Sacrament and an act of worship. There is no doubt
that the cost is now prohibitive and we must surely be able to find a way to celebrate
the Sacrament without financial wipe-out and a lot of debt. I know you want a
great celebration and it has to be special but generally we are talking thousands
and not just a few thousand! Be brave enough to opt for a sacred rather than a
spectacular event! There are fifteen weddings booked for next year. If you are
looking for a date, be quick.
READINGS
The readings for this weekend's Masses are shown below in English. They are available
in eleven other languages
including French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish by clicking on this
link.
First
Reading Jeremiah 31:7-9
The
Lord says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim!
Praise! Shout: The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel! See, I will
bring them back from the land of the North and gather them from the far ends of
earth; all of them: the blind and the lame, women with child, women in labour:
a great company returning here. They had left in tears, I will comfort them as
I lead them back; I will guide them to streams of water, by a smooth path where
they will not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born
son.
Second
Reading Hebrews 5:1-6
Every
high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their
relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise
with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations
of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for
the people. No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God,
as Aaron was. Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but
he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your
father, and in another text: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and
for ever.
Gospel
Mark 10:46-52
As
Jesus left Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (that is,
the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting at the side of the road. When
he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout and to say, "Son
of David, Jesus, have pity on me." And many of them scolded him and told
him to keep quiet, but he only shouted all the louder, "Son of David, have
pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." So they called
the blind man. "Courage," they said, "get up; he is calling you."
So throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and went to Jesus. Then Jesus spoke, "What
do you want me to do for you?" "Rabbuni," the blind man said to
him, "Master, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith
has saved you." And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along
the road.