Palm Sunday
The Palm Sunday processions on Sunday 4th April will start outside the churches, weather permitting. On re-entering the church, children go into the hall for Children’s Liturgy. Parents are responsible for seeing them into the hall.

Lent Breakfast is Served!
Breakfast will be served in the Sacred Heart Hall on Thursdays during Lent after the 7.00am Mass. All proceeds from the Lenten Breakfasts will go towards the Parish Lenten Appeal. Everyone is most welcome.

Lent Lunches
The Portchester Churches will be holding Shoppers’ Services and Lent lunches every Wednesday in Lent at the Methodist Church at 12.00 noon. Catholics will be organising the lunches on the 7th April. Father Chris will lead this Service. Do make a note in your diary and support these ecumenical lunches. All proceeds are shared between CAFOD and Christian Aid.

Gift Aid
Gift Aid envelopes may still be collected this weekend. If you are a taxpayer, any amount that you give to the Church can be Gift Aided. This enables us to claim 28p for every pound you give, i.e. 4 weeks at £1 becomes £5.12. If you would like more information, please speak to Yvonne Byrne or telephone 01329 311911.

Sacred Heart Cleaning
Help is needed with the cleaning of Sacred Heart Church. If anyone could spare one hour of their time after Mass on Tuesday mornings, we would be very grateful. Come along after Mass and ask for Carol or phone 01329 310879.

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.

THE UNION
Thought for the Week
Years ago, Peter Berger wrote a best-selling book called ‘A Rumour of Angels’, in which he spoke of “signals of transcendence”. A signal of transcendence is something in this life that points to something beyond this life. One of these “signals” is the hunger in every human heart for something more than this world can offer. For example, we can all experience love, but the love which we experience, beautiful as it is, does not satisfy us completely. It leaves us hungering for something more. It does not satisfy the hunger for infinite love that we find in our heart. We can also experience happiness in this world, but the happiness we experience does not satisfy us completely. It leaves us hungering for something more.

This unsatisfied desire for an infinite love and an infinite happiness, says Berger, is a “signal of transcendence”. It is something in this world that points to something beyond it. The great C.S. Lewis put it this way, “If I find in myself a desire that no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Something deep down in every human being confirms what Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: Death is not the end of life. There is another life beyond this one. This is the wonderful message that Jesus came to bring into the world. Our life on earth is simply the launching pad for a greater life to come.

Father Chris Whelan

John Campkin RIP
Please pray for the repose of the soul of John Campkin who died recently. Please pray for his wife Dorothy and family and friends. John’s funeral service will take place on Tuesday 30th March at 1.30pm at Portchester Crematorium.

Winifred Hamilton RIP
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Winifred Hamilton who died recently. Please also pray for John, Joan and Winifred’s family and friends.

Wanted – Project Worker, Southampton
Do you have the skills and energy to support new incomer arrivals from the 10 countries joining the European Community on 4th May? We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised person to welcome new arrivals to Southampton from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary. This project is funded by Southampton City Council for one year. If you would like more information and an application form please contact Canon John O’Shea on 023 8033 3589 or email: parish@catholic.co.uk The closing date for applications is 2nd April 2004.

Party after Easter Vigil Mass at St Philip Howard Church Hall
Following the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday 10th April there will be a party to welcome Danielle, Sarah, Linda, Lorraine, Alyson, Jayne, Paul and Nicholas into the Church. As usual you are invited to donate items of food for the finger buffet. In the entrance hall of each church is a list of food. Please sign your name against your contribution. Please bring your donations on Saturday 10th April to Sacred Heart Hall between 10.00am and 11.00am or St Philip Howard Hall between 2.00pm and 3.00pm or Our Lady of Walsingham between 10.00am and 11.00am.

House Group
The next meeting of the House Group will be on Wednesday 31st March (7.45pm for 8.00pm) at 101 The Avenue, Fareham. All are welcome. The House Group will restart after the Easter Break on Wednesday 21st April. Please telephone 01329 847533 for more information.

29th March 2004 5th Sunday of Lent The Year of St Luke

Stations of the Cross
There will be Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent at the Sacred Heart Church at 7.00pm and every Sunday during Lent at Our Lady of Walsingham Church in Portchester at 4.45pm.

Easter Parish Newsletter – “The Union”
The Easter Sunday Parish Newsletter will be printed on Thursday 8th April. Any items to be published in this issue should be sent to the Parish Office by 12 noon on Tuesday 6th April. The next newsletter to be printed after Easter will be for the weekend of 24th/25th April.

The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
“I praise, and bless, and give myself wholly to Him, who is the true Bread of my soul, and my everlasting joy”. (Ven. John Henry Newman).

If you are able to help with Adoration in Fareham please contact Lily Peach on 077 678 98885, or to help with Adoration at Portchester, please contact Veronica Reeves on 023 9237 2864 or Rose Andrews on 023 9238 8494.

Adoration
Please note that Adoration will cease on Friday 2nd April and recommence on Monday 19th April.

Youth Band for Mass
Members needed for a new Youth Band to play during Mass. If you are able to sing or play an instrument (high grades not necessary!) and are willing to play at least once a month at the 11.00am Mass on Sundays then please contact Lisa Pyrzewski on 01329 311539 or email lisa_p80@hotmail.com for more information.

Lourdes Cake Stall
The next cake stall in aid of the Lourdes Fund will take place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th April, following the Palm Sunday Masses. Donations of cakes, biscuits, pies, jams…….would be much appreciated; cakes/produce can be left in the church hall on the day of the sale prior to the Mass you are attending. Thank you.

Thank You from Trudy Russell
“I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who helped me raise money for the National Deaf Children’s Society last Easter. Individually, I raised over £1600 for the charity; without the support of the parish I wouldn’t have been able to do so. As a group we raised over £25,000 which is amazing and will be invaluable to the work of the charity. The trip went ahead as planned in September and we travelled over 6 hours by motorised canoe from the nearest city to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, where we spent six days trekking and canoeing. It was hard work but very rewarding. We were raising money for a UK charity but also able to witness the good that our money brought to the local economy. The areas protected for eco-tourism provide a good quality of life for the local population as they are at much less risk of deforestation, which is a major problem throughout the rainforest. Thanks to all once again.”

Parish Lenten Appeal 2004
Please support our 2004 Parish Lenten Appeal ‘Looking forward – with your help’. All proceeds generated from the Appeal will help two charities working for the blind:
‘Fareham & Gosport Active Groups for the Blind’, a special project for Central Asia, serving the blind children of Uzbekistan. A bucket collection will be taken at the end of Sunday Masses during Lent for this appeal.

Catholic Bible School
www.catholic-bible-school.org
Men and Mission in the Church: led by Rt. Rev. Tom Burns (Roman Catholic Bishop of the UK Armed Forces) on Saturday 24th April from 10.00am to 3.30pm.

Prior booking is appreciated, please contact the Catholic Bible School on 01243 371766.

Recommended Reading – ‘Tears at Night’
The author, Andrew Robinson, is a young seminarian dying of cancer. His Archbishop gives him a journal and invites him to record his daily thoughts. Contact the Catholic Bible School for details 01243 371766 or see here

Finance
Thank you for your generosity in giving.
Offertory Collection - £1690.50

Lent Appeal to date - £734.80

Clergy Assistance Fund - £252.68

Forthcoming Collections
2nd April - SVP

9th April - Holy Places

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