Newsletter
As usual, this will be the only Newsletter for the holiday period. Please keep this issue because it contains all the times of the liturgies for the coming weeks. The next newsletter will be available on the weekend of the 4th/5th September.

Parish Pilgrimage - ‘In the Steps of St Paul’
Please note that if, for any reason, you have to cancel your place on the Parish Pilgrimage, you must notify the Parish Office as well as sending written notification to Maranatha Tours.
Coach to/from Fareham/Heathrow – An Executive Coach (with WC/drinks etc.) has now been booked for the outward and return journeys from Fareham and Heathrow Airport. Collection points will be at the Sacred Heart Church in Fareham and Our Lady of Walsingham Church, Portchester – times will be advised nearer the departure date. The cost for the return journey will be £18.50 per person. Please fill in the attached tear-off slip and return it to the Parish Office with your payment by Friday 24th September. Please note that cheques for the coach journey should be made out to the parish (PRCDTR Fareham Sacred Heart) and not to Maranatha Tours.

Name

Tel. no

Collection point – please tick as required:
Fareham (Sacred Heart)
Portchester

Amount enclosed

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 Month
A restaurant in Chicago has specially printed placemats on all its tables. The mats were designed exclusively for the restaurant and here is the wording that appears on them: “In 1923 an important lunch meeting took place at Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Hotel. Attending the meeting were the following men ~ The president of the largest steel company in the world, the president of the largest utility company in the world, the president of the largest gas company in the world, the president of the New York Stock Exchange, the president of the Bank of International Settlements, the greatest wheat speculator in the world, the greatest bear on Wall Street, the head of the world’s greatest monopoly and a member of President Harding’s cabinet. That’s a pretty impressive line-up of people. After a successful meeting they vowed to meet up again in the same place 25 years later.”

Yet, 25 years later, that meeting never took place, so where were those nine industrial giants? According to the story on the placemat: “The president of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died bankrupt; the president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull, died penniless; the president of the largest gas company, Howard Hobson had gone insane; the president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, was in prison; the bank president, Leon Fraser, committed suicide; the wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died penniless; the Wall Street bear, Jesse Livermore, committed suicide; the head of the world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Kruegar, committed suicide, and the member of President Harding’s cabinet, Albert Fall, was just given a pardon from a long prison sentence so that he could die at home.”

That story dramatises the point behind Jesus’ parable of the foolish farmer. Contrary to what some people think, however, in this parable Jesus isn’t knocking the acquisition of wealth, nor private enterprise, but the foolish idea of placing greater importance on gaining material rather than spiritual treasures. “What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?” (Luke 9:25).

Father Chris Whelan

Your prayers are requested
At the 6.00pm Mass at Our Lady of Walsingham Church this weekend, Charles Halford is receiving his First Holy Communion. Please remember him in your prayers.

Sky Diver
Mary Jones, whom many of you know, is making a sky dive on 13th August, together with the Abbot and Father Martin of Prinknash Abbey, in aid of the Restoration of St. Peter’s Grange, the Abbey Retreat Centre and a Grade One Listed Building, parts of which date from the 11th century. Sponsorship Forms are in the porch. Denis Hodgetts will be very happy to accept all sponsorship monies and will remit them to the Abbey.

Lift Required
An elderly disabled lady in the Bishopsfield Rd. area of Fareham requires a lift to either the 9.00am or 11.00am Sunday Mass for two weeks only on the 8th and 15th August (9.00am Mass preferred if possible). If anyone is able to help, please contact Veronica Chadwick on 01489 584250 in the first instance and she will put you in touch with the person concerned.

Summer Quiz
Test your knowledge and have fun with friends by completing the Summer Quiz in aid of LIFE. Quiz entries will be on sale after all masses this weekend - £1 per entry. If you are unable to collect one at Mass this weekend, forms are available from either the Parish Office or by telephoning Rebecca Goodlad on 02392 381802. All entries to be returned by the 31st August 2004.

Diocese of Portsmouth Vacancy
A vacancy has arisen for a part-time Parish Administrative Secretary to work for Rev. Sean Tobin, Parish Priest at St Colman with St Paul, Cosham. The successful applicant will be located in the Parish Office at the Presbytery and will work 16 – 20 hrs. per week, commencement date 6th September. Experience and Qualifications required: experienced Administrator with excellent secretarial skills, time management and prioritisation skills, computer literate in word processing, desktop publishing, spreadsheets, database management and the internet. Personal Attributes: sympathetic to the Ministry and Mission of the Catholic Church, self motivated, flexible with the ability to work on own initiative and judgement without supervision. Diplomatic, discreet with a sympathetic nature and emotional resilience, able to cope with change and work under pressure.

For an application form, job description and salary details please contact: Mrs. Mary Swaffield, Personnel Administrator, St Edmund House, Edinburgh Road, Portsmouth. PO1 3QA, email: mswaffield@prcdtr-finance.org or telephone: 023 9282 3567. Closing date: Monday 23rd August 2004.

August 2004 The Year of St Luke

Summer Holiday Arrangements
We welcome back to our community Father Manuel Gonzalez who has kindly agreed to supply in our parish once again during the summer period. Our choir in Fareham will have a well-earned break during the summer. Readers are asked to note that the Psalm and Alleluia will not be sung during the coming weeks. During the month of August the Sacred Heart Church will be closed during the day except for those times when Mass is being celebrated. Please remember that Children's Liturgy of the Word is taking a break and will resume on the 4/5th September. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has now ceased and will resume in the Sacred Heart Church and in Our Lady of Walsingham Church on Monday 6th September 2004. I would like to wish everyone, who is taking a holiday, a relaxing and refreshing time with safe and comfortable travel. For those unable to take holidays, I hope this time of year brings an opportunity for some rest and recreation.
Father Chris Whelan

First Holy Communion Programme
Parents of those children of First Holy Communion age (born before the 31st August 1997) who wish for their children to prepare for this sacrament next year are invited to a meeting on Wednesday 15th September at St Jude’s School at 7.30pm. This will be an information meeting for parents where the programme will be discussed. If you wish your child to take part in the First Holy Communion Programme please complete one of the forms to be found at the entrance to the church and return this to Father Chris or the Parish Office.

Catholic Children’s Society
The FREE Summer edition of “CHILD”, the Catholic Children’s Society newsletter is available at the back of the church. Please take one.

Youth Club
The Youth Club is closed for the month of August and will recommence on Sunday 5th September at 7.00pm in St. Philip Howard Hall.

News from the Diocese
The following are planned and recent Appointments in the Diocese:
Fr. Eddie Richer – to Sacred Heart Bordon, with St. Joseph’s, Grayshott:
Fr. Anthony Pennicott – Sacred Heart, Bournemouth
Fr. Marcus Brisley – to the Annunciation, Charminster
Fr. John Lee – to St. Joseph’s, Christchurch
Fr. Shaun Budden – to Our Lady of Peace and Bl. Dominic Barberi, Earley
Fr. Simon Thomson – to the uniting Parish of St. Joseph’s Copnor and Corpus Christi, North End, Portsmouth
Fr. Richard Maniak – to Christ the King, Bitterne
Fr. David Sillince – to St. Boniface, Shirley
Fr. Kevin Bidgood – to Sacred Heart, Waterlooville
Fr. Robert Jennings – Priest in Charge of English Martyrs, Didcot
Canon Brian Murphy-O’Connor, Fr. Clement Marshall and Fr. Derek Reeve are to retire.
The Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, Eastney is in process of uniting with St. Swithun’s, Southsea and Fr. Peter Hollins is the Parish Priest of those united communities.
St. Gregory’s, Alresford will be served from St. Peter’s Winchester:
Annunciation, Hedge End and St. Bridget’s, West End will be served from Bishop’s Waltham:
St. Mary and St. Philip, Fordingbridge will come under the pastoral care of Canon Alan Griffiths, who continues to have responsibility for Sacred Heart, Ringwood:
Holy Ghost, Crowthorne and Immaculate Conception, Sandhurst is now the Combined Parish of Crowthorne and Sandhurst.

American Style Parish Lunch at Our Lady of Walsingham
There will be an American Style Parish Lunch at Our Lady of Walsingham on Sunday 15th August 2004 at 1.00pm. There is a list and details in the foyer of each church. If you are able to come enter your details on the list. This will provide an indication of the numbers attending and food available. Please ring Annette Woolley if you would like to help, 01329 310091.

Finance
Thank you for your generosity in giving.
Offertory Collection - £1579.50

Sudan Appeal - £1212.00

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