 Women's
World Day of Prayer - Portchester
This year's Service takes place on Friday 7th March at Portchester Methodist
Church beginning at 2.15pm. The Service has been prepared by Christian
Women of Lebanon and the Speaker will be Pam Davey. Those who have been
asked to read etc. are asked to attend a rehearsal on Wednesday 26th February
at 10.00am at Portchester Methodist Church.
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday of this week is Ash Wednesday and is a day of fasting and
abstinence.
Mass times are:
Sacred Heart 07.00am
Sacred Heart 09.30am
St Philip Howard 10.30am
Our Lady of Walsingham 07.30pm
Lent
2003 - Churches Together in Fareham
Once again, Churches Together in Fareham are organising a series of five
discussion groups during Lent. It is hoped that each group of about eight
people meeting in someone's home will contain members of our different
churches in Fareham. In the past some groups have not had a Catholic and
this has been missed by the others, so please think about giving it a
try this year. The course is called "In the Wilderness". Each
week we listen to an audio tape and then discuss what has been said. One
of the weeks the contribution on the tape is by our own Cardinal Cormac.
The day and the time when you would prefer to come are up to you, see
the leaflet at the back of the church for options. If you have "baby-sitting"
problems, why not offer to host a group in your own home? Someone else
will lead the group. So - pick up a leaflet and return it as soon as you
can, to the people named on it, or to the parish office.
Lent
2003 - Churches Together in Portchester
The Portchester churches are holding Shoppers’ Services and Lent
Lunches every Wednesday in Lent, beginning Ash Wednesday, at Portchester
Methodist Church, beginning at 12 noon. Catholics will be organising the
lunches on 26th March and 16th April and Fr. Chris will lead the Services.
All proceeds from the lunches are shared between CAFOD and Christian Aid.
All welcome.
The annual
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes will take place this year from 22nd –
29th August.
If you are
sick, disabled or housebound and would like to go on this pilgrimage,
please speak to Pauline Jackson. Any young person who would like to assist
the sick pilgrims during the pilgrimage please call Jane Cadogan 01329
235987.
St. Patrick's
Day Barn Dance
Barn Dance - Saturday 15th March at St. Jude's School, admission by ticket
only, £5.00 per head. Chilli and baked potato supper - licensed
bar - raffle. Dancing to live band "Turk Town Troopers" with
Caller, David Slater. Book your tickets now - call Graham Stanton on 01329
284057.
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First Friday prayer evenings
All at Our Lady of Walsingham, 7.30pm.
March
7th - 'Spring'
May 2nd - Rosary |
St. John’s
Cathedral, Portsmouth – vacancy
Due to the retirement of the current Secretary at Easter, a competent
Secretary will be required for the Cathedral Dean and Parish Office to
work 15 hours a week (five days a week 9.00am to 12 noon). The successful
candidate must be competent in the use of Microsoft Office. Inquiries
for the Job Description and Application Form to Mr. John Townsend, Financial
Administrator, Bishop’s House, Edinburgh Road, Portsmouth. PO1 3HG.
Closing date for applications: March 14th 2003.
Battery
Operated Bath Seat
The SVP has a battery operated bath seat which anyone is welcome to borrow
if they can find it useful. Please contact Mary Cadogan on 01329 235987
if you are interested.
Are
You New?
Are you new to this parish? If you have recently moved to this area, please
fill in one of the 'Are you new?' forms to be found at the entrance to
the church and return this to Father Chris or to the Parish Office. Alternatively
complete our online form.
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THE UNION
Thought for the Week
It is said that the ancient Egyptians fasted to look younger, whereas
the ancient Greeks fasted to be more mentally alert. Besides fasting for
natural reasons, however, throughout history many people and almost all
world religions have given an honoured place to fasting for spiritual reasons.
Legend says that Buddha at one stage during his life grew so thin from fasting
that he was able to touch his backbone when he pressed his stomach. Gandhi
used fasting as a form of political protest as well as for religious motives.
The ancient Jews fasted to repent for sin, to mourn a death, and to prepare
for and hasten the coming of the Messiah and God’s Kingdom. Well,
this was the reason they were meant to be fasting but many had lost sight
of why they were fasting in the first place. It had become a matter of routine
or habit with them. It is this to which Jesus is reacting in today’s
Gospel when he says: “Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would
never think of fasting while the bridegroom is still with them?”
Although
Jesus was critical of the Pharisee’s attitude toward fasting, He
practised fasting Himself, and later in Mark’s Gospel urges it as
a practice to be added to prayer for the obtaining of a special favour
such as the casting out of evil spirits (Mark 9:28). He left no specific
regulations about times for fasting, but his followers quickly adopted
fasting as a religious exercise. Throughout history the Church has continued
to urge fasting on its members, as an accompaniment to prayer, as a way
to imitate Jesus in His freely accepted sufferings, and as a means of
penance for sins. Although the Church leaves the choice of particular
penances up to the individual during Lent, it still insists on the universal
regulation of fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday, (this coming Wednesday)
and Good Friday to mark the beginning and end of Lent, but let us not
lose sight of why we are keeping these fasts in the first place.
Ron Close
RIP
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Ron Close who died recently.
Please also remember Lillian and all Ron’s family.
Ann Mullane
RIP
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Ann Mullane who died recently.
Please also pray for her husband Jim and all her family. Ann’s funeral
took place on Thursday 27th February at Sacred Heart Church.
A Message
from Barbara McLachlan
"A Patchwork workshop day has been planned for Saturday 12th April
in the St Philip Howard Hall. For further details please see the poster
in the porch and add your name on the form to show interest in coming.
I am not a teacher; I love my hobby and wish to introduce it to anyone
who may be interested. Please return the response forms to the parish
office by 4th April."
Lenten
Appeal
The Appeal this year is for children who are the victims of Aids. Throughout
the world, and especially in Africa, thousands of children have been orphaned
or have been affected from birth by the Aids virus. Many children will
never reach their teenage years. Their plight is desperate. They need
our help. Please be generous.
Host
Families urgently required
Families are needed to host foreign students attending Fareham College
from September 2003. Students attend school on a full time basis and live
as a member of the family. Current hosting fee is £304.00 per month
for full board accommodation. If you can help please contact: Sue, Sandra
or Kim on 01304 830948 or e-mail: suebugden@eeop.com
Catholic
Newspapers
It is proposed to renew the sale of the three Catholic newspapers after
Mass at weekends, starting on Easter Sunday (20th April) for a trial period
of three months. If successful, it is hoped that this will become a permanent
feature and in order to estimate how many should be ordered, we need to
know how many parishioners would be willing to order a weekly copy of
one or more of the papers mentioned. Please cut out the order form below
and hand it in to Denis Hodgetts, (6.30pm Saturday); John Vivian (9.00am
Sunday); Chris North (11.00am Sunday); Veronica Reeves (5.30pm Sunday)
The Papers
are:-
The Universe - 90p:
The Catholic Times - 70p
The Catholic Herald - 80p
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I
would like to order ………………………………
Name
…………………………………………………………
Address
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………
Telephone
no. ………………………………………
This
information will be treated as confidential.
|
St Jude's
RC Primary School
Current newsletter here |
| 2nd
March 2003
8th Sunday of the Year
The
Year of St Mark |
 |
 Pastoral
Letter
This weekend we have a Pastoral Letter from Bishop Crispian. Copies of
this letter are available in the church porch. Please take one.
Rite
of Election
Please pray for members of our Parish who will be going to the Rite of
Election at the Cathedral on Saturday 8th March:
Lorraine Crusham: Alexi Donadoni and Roy Crowl.
All
Night Vigil of Prayer for Peace
Friday/Saturday 7/8 March at Sacred Heart Church beginning with Stations
of the Cross at 7.00pm on Friday and ending with 7.00am Mass on Saturday.
Please come and pray for peace and the averting of war with Iraq.
Stations
of the Cross – every Friday during Lent at Sacred Heart Church
7.00pm and every Sunday at Our Lady of Walsingham – 4.30pm.
 The
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
"This Bread of Heaven has strengthened me. Just look, it seems
as if my pilgrimage can't get to its destination. Far from complaining
about this, I rejoice that God still lets me suffer for love of Him. Ah,
how good it is to let yourself go in His arms, with neither fears nor
desires." (St Therese, The Little Flower). If you are able to
help with Adoration, please telephone Lily Peach on 01329 825447 or 077
678 98885.
|
Lenten Breakfast
During Lent "take on" something different by
changing your early Thursday morning routine:
Rise
early
Attend 7.00am Mass at the Sacred Heart Church
Enjoy a friendly breakfast in the Hall
Every
Thursday during Lent breakfast will be served in the Sacred Heart
Hall following 7.00am Mass.
All
proceeds to the Parish Lenten Appeal |
The Wintershall
“Life of Christ”
This all-day performance will be presented daily at the Wintershall Estate
near Guildford during the week 24th-29th June 2003 between 10.00am and
4.00pm. The Friends of Park Place have booked tickets at £12.00
each for the performance on Thursday 26th June. See the notice board for
further details. www.wintershall-estate.com
Lourdes
Buffet Lunch
The next Lourdes Lunch will take place in St Philip Howard Church Hall
on Saturday 22nd March at 12.30pm – Tickets £5.00 from Pauline
Jackson 01329 236275 or Ann Corr 01329 236575. Proceeds to the Lourdes
Fund. ALL WELCOME.
|
Fareham
Deanery Adult Formation Talks
Further
dates for your diary:
Wednesday 26th March
Easter Triduum
Speaker - Canon Alan Griffiths
Wednesday
7th May
Ecumenism and the dialogue, in particular with the Church of England
Speaker - Bishop Crispian Hollis
Wednesday
28th May
Pentecost and the Trinity
Speaker - Mgr. Canon Jeremy Garratt
Wednesday
25th June
St Peter and St Paul - Mission
Speaker - Fr. Mark Hogan
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Finance
Thank you for your generosity in giving.
Fareham - £1287.50
Portchester - £132.00
Survive Miva - £758.00
Forthcoming
Collections
2nd March - Catholic Children's Society
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 Chris, or complete the online
form
Fr Chris Whelan
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