Sister Julia Flannery
As explained in a previous newsletter Sr. Julia will be leaving
the Parish at the end of January for health reasons. On Sunday 20th January
at 3.00pm there will be Evening Prayer and Benediction at St. Philip Howard
Church followed by a festive tea in St. Jude's School Hall. This will
provide us all with an opportunity to say thank you to Sr. Julia for all
that she has done for us in her ministry in Fareham and Portchester. (Please
note the revised time). The celebration will conclude in time for us to
get to the King's Church for the Unity Week Service.
Youth Forum
As a result of comments made at the recent Parish Open Meeting, the Parish
Pastoral Council would like to invite anyone who would be prepared to
become part of a group of people to look into the provision of activities,
events and communications with the youth of our parish, to help develop
a Youth Forum. You would not necessarily need to be involved in direct
contact with the youngsters, but representation on the Forum from those
currently involved with young people would be very welcome as would anyone
from the 18+ age group, (the older youth).
If you would like to find out more, please contact
the Parish Office by the end of January.
Christmas Offering - Thank you
Fr. Paul and Fr. Chris would like to thank everyone for such a generous
Christmas Offering and for all the greetings and gifts they received during
the Christmas period.
Confirmation
The first Confirmation meeting will take place
on Thursday 31st January at St. Philip Howard Church at 7.30pm. All prospective
candidates & their parents should attend.
Youth Club
The Youth Club will recommence on 13th January 2002. Anyone who is interested
in helping with the Youth Club please contact Kevin Taylor on 01329 511478.
Eucharistic Ministers
A reminder that a Day of Reflection will be held for Eucharistic Ministers
on Saturday 2nd February at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Southampton -
please do keep the day free.
Eddie & Celestine Holmes
Congratulations to Eddie and Celestine Holmes who celebrate their 56th
wedding anniversary this week on Thursday 17th January.
Healing Workshop - Douai Abbey
Nicholas Broadbridge OSB will hold a practical day exploring the issues
involved in Christian Healing on Saturday 26th January from 10.00am at
Douai Abbey. All welcome, please bring food to share at lunchtime. Suggested
donation for the waged £10 - email for details to douaiabby@aol.com
Child Protection Training
Individuals or leaders of groups who work with children are asked to attend
Child Protection Training. Sessions will take place on Wednesday 23rd
January and Thursday 31st January at St. Jude's School at 7.30pm.
Are You New?
Are you new to this parish? If you have recently moved to this area, please
fill in our online form, or alternatively
one of the "Are You New?" forms to be found at the entrance
to the church and return this to Father Paul or Father Chris or to the
parish office.
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THE UNION
Thought for the Week
"It is I who need baptism from you and yet you come to me!"
So says John the Baptist as he tries to dissuade Jesus from accepting
Baptism at his hands. It is easy to understand why! John knew that Jesus
was the Messiah and he was unable to work out why Jesus should need his
particular baptism, which was all about repentance for sinners. Jesus
insisted and seemed to be saying that this is the way things had to be.
John stops arguing and gives way to Jesus' desire to be baptised by him.
We know that this moment of baptism was important for
Jesus. It was not about the forgiveness of his sins because that was not
necessary in Jesus' case. Jesus' baptism was all about his desire to be
one with the rest of his brothers and sisters in the human race. He wanted
to join himself to us so that he could use his power for our good. As
soon as he came out of the water that power came upon him. The heavens
opened and the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove. As Jesus
was filled with the Holy Spirit, the voice came from heaven saying: "This
is my Son, the beloved; my favour rests on him".
After his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus "went
about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil".
In everything Jesus said or did, the Holy Spirit was at work bringing
the healing and joy of God into the world of human beings. This work continued
through his life and death and now, as the one who has risen from death,
his work continues until the end of time.
The baptism of Jesus is a call for us to renew our own
baptismal commitment. That is why the Rite of Sprinkling with Holy Water
will be used at the beginning of each of our Masses this Sunday. Our own
baptism gives us a share in the work of Jesus as priest, prophet and king
and, as such, we are commissioned to lead others to Christ, to proclaim
his Good News and to offer the gift of our lives for others in selfless
service.
Betty Haydon RIP
Please pray for Betty Haydon who died last weekend. Her funeral Mass
will be at Our Lady of Walsingham, Portchester at 12.00 on Wednesday 23rd
January. Please also pray for Arthur, Julie, Dave and all Betty's family.
Vigil Prayer for the Dead will be at 7pm on Tuesday 22nd January 7pm at
Our Lady of Walsingham Church.
Michael Winiarczuk RIP
Please also remember in your prayers, Michael Winiarczuk who died
last Tuesday. His funeral Mass will be at St Philip Howard Church on Friday
18th January at 11.00am. Please pray for Cecylia, Jan, Edward, Stefan,
Janina, Adam, Daniel and all Michael's family.
Fareham Churches Together United Service
The Fareham Churches Together United Service will be held next Sunday
20th January at 6.30pm in the King's Community Church in West Street.
Please do all you can to attend. The Churches Together in Portchester
Service will be held at 6.30pm at Our Lady of Walsingham on Sunday 27th
January and will be followed by refreshments.
Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi
I have provisionally booked a Parish Pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi beginning
on Monday 18th November 2002 and ending the following Monday 25th November.
Our stay in Rome would include visits to St. Peter's and the Pope's General
Audience, the Basilicas of Mary Major, John Lateran, St. Paul's and free
time in the city. There would be a possible stay of two nights in Assisi
during which time we would visit the usual sites including the Basilicas
of St. Clare and St. Francis. Many other visits would be included but
they will be fixed after more detailed consultation. As I need to know
fairly soon how much interest there would be in this pilgrimage, please
contact me asap. The cost
will be in the region of £725.00
Confirmation
Bishop Crispian will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation in our parish
on Friday the 14th of June 2002 at the St. Philip Howard Church at 7.30
pm. Preparations for this Sacrament will begin with an introductory meeting
for candidates and their parents on Thursday the 31st of January 2002
at 7.30 pm in the St. Philip Howard Church. If you wish to prepare to
receive this Sacrament, please contact the parish office immediately.
Candidates must be at least in their second year of secondary education
(Year 8). Other young people - or not so young - who, for one reason or
another, might have "missed out" are invited to consider preparing
for this important Sacrament.
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13th January 2002
The Baptism of Our Lord
The Year of
St Matthew
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Used Christmas Postage Stamps
Please bring your used postage stamps to church. These are sent to the Scout
Association to raise funds for the Trust that provides holiday homes for
handicapped Scouts (boys and girls).
Christian Unity Week 18th-25th January
A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity arranged round the text 'With
You is the Fountain of Life' (Psalm 36:9).
A week where Christians of all denominations join together in prayer and
praise giving thanks to God for all the blessings that He has bestowed
on us and praying for all the church denominations within these islands.
Churches Together in Fareham have organised three ecumenical
services during that week.
Sunday 20th January - United Service 6.30pm at Community
Church, Kings Centre, West Street
Tuesday 22nd January - Service 7.30pm at Hill Park Baptist
Church, Gudge Heath Lane
Thursday 24th January - Service 10.00am at St. John's Church,
Redlands Lane
Please come and join in prayer and praise with our other
brothers and sisters in Christ in any or all of these services.
Lent Groups
During Lent there will be Ecumenical Lent Groups made up of local
groups of Christians gathered together to reflect and study the theme
'…..called to be Saints' (1Cor 1:2). The course is run for a period
of 5 weeks only i.e. during Lent. Application Forms (in canary
yellow) giving details, timings and further information are available
at the back of the Church and need to be returned by 28th January.
It is an ideal way to meet informally in someone's home and get to know
Christians of other denominations and discover how much we have in common.
Discussions are Bible based and relevant to the 21st Century.
Come on, give it a try.
Baptism Courses
Monday 14 January, 21 January, 28 January 2002.
01329 319392
Monday 4 March, 11 March, 18 March 2002
01329 231949
Thursday 2 May, 9 May, 16 May 2002
01329 515991.
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Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
"The adoration of the Magi was a homage of faith and a tribute
of love to the Incarnate Word; such ought to be our Eucharistic adoration…The
Magi are our models, the first adorers. Let us be worthy of their royal
faith in Jesus Christ. Let us be heirs to their love and one day we will
be heirs to their glory. Amen." (St. Peter Julian Eymard)
The Eucharistic Adoration resumed on Monday 7th January
at the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Walsingham. Someone is needed to fill
in the hours of 3.00 - 4.00pm on Wednesdays and 4.00 - 5.00pm on Fridays.
If you are able to help, please telephone Lily Peach on 01329 825447.
Finance
Thank you for your generosity in giving
Fareham - £1657.70, Portchester - £194.39
Forthcoming Special Collections
Catholic Education Service
A special collection will be taken at all Masses on the 19th & 20th
January in aid of the Catholic Education Service
Interested in Becoming a Catholic?
A series of meetings and talks takes place each year for those interested
in becoming a member of our Church. If you would like to know more, please
contact Father Paul, or complete the online
form
Father Paul Townsend
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