Readers’ Meeting
All Readers are asked to come to a meeting at Sacred Heart Hall on Thursday 12th October at 7.30pm.

St Mary’s Church, Portchester Castle
There will be a concert by the Vilensky String Quartet at St Mary’s Church on Sunday 15th October at 2.30pm in aid of the Restoration Fund. Tickets cost £7.00 including refreshments, and are available from St Mary’s Church Office, Portchester Parish Hall – telephone 023 9232 1380.

Family Fast Day
Friday 6th October is autumn Fast Day. Envelopes are available this weekend for your contribution and should be brought back to be collected after Mass next Sunday.

Latin Mass
This Sunday 1st October at 3.30pm at St John’s Cathedral, Edinburgh Road, Portsmouth there will be Solemn High Mass using classical, centuries old “Tridentine” Liturgy with Mozart’s Coronation Mass, to mark the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. All are welcome.

Organ Recital
Australian organist, Mark Terry, will give a recital at Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Green, Gosport on Saturday 14th October at 7.30pm in aid of the Handel Organ Fund. Tickets £8.00 (concessions £5.00) to include a glass of wine may be purchased on the night.

A Day with Words
This day Retreat by novelist Julia Bryant takes place at Park Place Pastoral Centre, Wickham from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Sunday 15th October. Bring a pen and paper and plenty of enthusiasm and a packed lunch. The cost is £10.00 and to book please contact the Secretary on 01329 833043.

Useful websites for young people
www.disciplesnow.com – a site from the US where you can register for daily reflections. www.pray-as-you-go.org – daily reflection you can download onto your mp3 player. www.rejesus.co.uk – a range of activities covering scripture, prayer and ways that Jesus has been portrayed in art.

From the Department for Pastoral Formation
The Gospel of Luke – Friday 10th November at the Cathedral Discovery Centre, Portsmouth 10.30am to 3.30pm (coffee available from 10.00am). A study day led by Fr Jeremy Corley, a Priest of our Diocese, a leading scripture scholar and currently teaching at Ushaw College, Durham. Cost £12.50 per person, bring a packed lunch and your Bible.

Day for Ministry Co-ordinators – Saturday 18th November at Bishop Challoner School, Basingstoke 10.00am coffee, tea 4.00pm, please bring a packed lunch. (Bishop Crispian will be present) To book for either of the above days, contact the Secretary, Department for Pastoral Formation, Park Place, Winchester Road, Wickham, Hants. PO17 5HA before 3rd November 2006.

Shoeboxes
Now is the time to start putting together your shoeboxes for Romania. The last day for bringing them to church will be Sunday 29th October. We will collect boxes at Sacred Heart porch, St Philip Howard porch and the Richeldis Room at Our Lady of Walsingham.

Because of difficulties with Romanian customs, it is essential that you read and follow the instructions on the leaflet, and especially the Gift Aid section if you pay income tax. Also read the list of forbidden items. Customs open boxes at random, and condemn a whole consignment if they find forbidden items. Thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness to others so much less fortunate than ourselves. God bless. Marian.

THE UNION

Thought for the Week
Each day we are faced with choices: to be for or against Christ. This is both as easy as it sounds and as profound. The entire second part of Mark’s gospel is about who Jesus is and what it costs to be his disciple. To be Jesus’ disciple necessitates losing something, cutting some things out. But when we do choose Christ, life comes. In other words, cutting off is a kind of dying; it is a way to be “against” something (that is attractive to us but takes us away from Jesus) so as to be “for” Jesus. The kingdom of God is so important that we must want to do everything and anything we can – great and small – to bring it about. Sometimes the choices are not so clear and we perhaps are not even aware that we must make a choice. Living the gospel as a faithful disciple, then, also requires us to take stock of our actions and how others perceive who we are and how we act. Discipleship means that everything we are and do flows from our relationship with Christ.
From Living Liturgy

Prayer for our Pastoral Area
A call to prayer for the community of our Pastoral Area – come to St Margaret Mary at Park Gate on Friday 6th October from 10.00am to 3.00pm – Mass at 10.00am. For further details or a lift ring 023 9238 1802.

Catholic Faith Exploration (CaFE)
A series of seven talks designed to help Catholics discover how Scripture, Tradition and the Teaching of the Church, can lead to a deeper understanding not only of our personal faith but also of our role in the Church. Details of the themes of the Sessions and venues, times and dates are on the poster in the porch.

House Group
The next meeting of the House group will be on Wednesday 4th October, 7.45pm for 8.00pm at 101 The Avenue, Fareham. For more information, ring 01329 847533. All are welcome.

Training in Spiritual Direction
Do others speak to you about their faith journey? Have you ever thought about accompanying others in prayer? Would you like to consider training for this ministry? If the answer is “yes”, then you are invited to a “taster” day at St Francis de Sales Church, Warren Road, Wash Common, Newbury, Berkshire on Saturday 14th October from 10.30am to 4.00pm. If you are interested in attending, please contact Mrs Gill Hughes on 01635 35979.

Theology for Teachers Course
The Department for Schools will be running a series of twilight sessions entitled ‘Theology for Teachers’. This has been run very successfully three times now in the Diocese and is being offered again at two school venues – Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School in Reading and Oaklands Catholic School in Waterlooville. The course is of use to anyone working in our schools or who intends to apply to work in our schools in the future. Catholic teachers who work in non-Catholic schools would also be most welcome. The course is also open to any adult who is interested in finding out more about theology. For more details visit the website on www.portsmouth-dio.org.uk/schools or ring 01329 835363.

Altar Servers’ Meeting – Saturday 14th October 11.30am to 12.30pm in Sacred Heart Church
This is a chance for all existing Altar Servers to meet each other from all the Masses celebrated in the parish and to start a training programme to introduce new ways to celebrate our service at Mass. An invitation is also extended to all boys and girls who have received their First Holy Communion, who wish to become an Altar Server to join us in the Guild of St Stephen. Contact Paul Lewis on 01329 282831.

Parish Bazaar
The Bazaar this year will be on the 18th November – goods for sale can be brought to all three churches from 21st/22nd October.

Altar Servers’ Meeting – Saturday 14th October 11.30am to 12.30pm in Sacred Heart Church
This is a chance for all existing Altar Servers to meet each other from all the Masses celebrated in the parish and to start a training programme to introduce new ways to celebrate our service at Mass. An invitation is also extended to all boys and girls who have received their First Holy Communion, who wish to become an Altar Server to join us in the Guild of St Stephen. Contact Paul Lewis on 01329 282831.

St John’s College Politics Society
Come along to hear speakers from the world of politics at St John’s College in Grove Road South, Southsea:-

Thursday 5th October – Oliver Heald MP – Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary

Tuesday 10th October – Baroness Jay – daughter of the late Lord Callaghan and former Leader of the Lords in the Blair Government

Friday 10th November – ‘Any Questions’ – an evening with a cross-party panel comprising three MPs who represent seats on the south coast, Desmond Swayne (Conservative), Alan Whitehead (Labour) and Annette Brooke (Lib Dem), together with Stephen Harris, South East Regional Organiser for UKIP.

Thursday 16th November – Nick Clegg MP – Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary, tipped by many as a future leader of the party.

No charge is made for admission to any of these meetings which all start at 7.30pm with the exception of the Baroness Jay meeting which starts at 7.00pm Refreshments are available during the half hour prior to the start of each meeting. For further details contact Dr Graham Goodlad on 023 9281 5118 or email

St Jude's RC Primary School
Newsletter here

26th Sunday of the Year 1st October 2006 The Year of St Mark

Churches Together in Portchester
The next Praise and Worship Service takes place this Sunday, 1st October at 7.00pm in Portchester Parish Hall, Castle Street. All are welcome.

Thanks .....
“Many, many thanks to you all for remembering me with your love, Masses, prayers and best wishes for a successful operation and a speedy recovery. Thank you again and may God bless you all a hundred fold – love you. Dorothy Sigournay”

The Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
“Always stay close to our Lord, present in the tabernacle. Be completely absorbed by devotion to Him there and never let go.”
(St Bernadette)

Contacts: Fareham - Lily Peach on 077 678 98885 Portchester – Veronica Reeves on 023 9237 2864 or Rose Andrews on 023 9238 8494.

More adorers are needed for adoration at Our Lady of Walsingham. If you can spare one hour between 1.00pm and 4.00pm please let Rose Andrews or Veronica Reeves know.

Lift to Mass
A lady in the Highlands Road area would appreciate a lift to Mass – 9.00am at Sacred Heart if possible. If you are able to help, please contact the Parish Office.

Father Peters
The UCM have invited Fr Peters to show his slides, mainly of the 1980’s. Were you involved in parish activities at that time? If so, please join us on Tuesday 10th October, 7.00pm at St Jude’s School. £1.00 donation toward UCM 2006 deaf and blind children charities.

Lunch Club
Due to a fall in numbers recently, we have spaces in the lunch club which meets in the Sacred Heart Hall every Thursday from 12.00 – 1.00pm. If you would like to join this friendly group and enjoy a hot, cooked meal, please ring either Mary Downing on 01329 234004 or Theresa Hughes on 01329 664433.

Equipment for Hire from Fareham Community Action
For a small hire fee, the following are available to voluntary groups: Digital camera, laptop, digital projector and screen, over head projector, loop system, public address system, portable appliance tester and display boards. Simply call Fareham Community Action on 01329 231899.

Great South Run
One of our parishioners, David Ryan, has volunteered to run the 10 mile BUPA Great South Run for the Stroke Association. Stroke is the 3rd biggest killer and leading cause of severe disability in the UK. He will be outside all Masses next weekend, 7th and 8th October, and will be delighted if you would like to sponsor him.

Finance
Offertory Collection - £1619.90
Cathedral - £339.52

Forthcoming Collections
1st October – Adopt Sri Lanka
8th October – Family Fast Day

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 Joe or to the Parish Office. Alternatively complete our online form.

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 fill in the form and return it to Father Joe, or complete the online form