Father Paul Townsend
Parish Christmas Dinner 2001
The Parish Dinner will take place on Saturday
8th December 2001 in St. Jude's School Hall at 7.30 p.m. This is a special
parish occasion for everyone to gather and enjoy an evening of festivity.
TICKETS available after all weekend Masses from 10/11th November:
Sacred Heart Church -
6.30 p.m. Sat. Ann Corr (sold from the Repository)
9.30 am Sun. Peter Chandler.
St. Philip Howard Church
11.00 am Sunday - Sue McMullan
6.30 p.m Sunday - Pauline Jackson
Our Lady of Walsingham
8.30 am Sun - Olive Jerram
10.00 am Sun - Jon Ward
Adults £12.50 - Concessions £8.00.Family £30.00
Tickets can be booked by phoning 01329 236275
All proceeds to the children of Afghanistan.
Hugh Rails Ltd. A local company, owned by a member of the parish, has
generously agreed to sponsor the Parish Dinner. A gracious benefactor
to the children of Afghanistan. Thank you.
Prisons Week 2001
CTHI Prisons Concern Group invites you to Prisons week 2001 on Thursday
22nd November from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. at Southampton Institute (James
Matthews Lecture Theatre) Guest Speaker, Mr.Tim Newell, Prison Governor,
HMP Grendon 1991-2001.
Further information from J. Gordon 023 8031 9819.
A
note from Fr. Peters
Anyone is welcome to St. Mary's College, Midanbury Lane, Southampton,
on Saturday 17th November, from noon-5 p.m. It is a come-and-go event
to mark Fr. Michael Peters retirement. Side-shows, children's games and
a mixture of table-top items run continuously alongside a simple buffet.
There is also a display of Parish Life (1979-1989). You are welcome to
take away the exhibits (which include programmes of the various Parish
events.) Details 106 Cobden Avenue, S018 1FS Tel. 80558497.
The
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
"The Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament is an angelic service,
an act of sublime faith and ardent love, a signal act of reparation to
the Divine Heart of Jesus, a support for the Church Militant, a cause
of special delight for the Church Triumphant and a source of indescribable
relief for the members of the Church Suffering in Purgatory. It is not
surprising, therefore, that the grace of an attraction towards the Holy
Eucharist is considered one of the greatest graces God can bestow upon
a soul." The Blessed Sacrament: God With Us.
We are still looking for volunteers to increase the hours of adoration.
If you can spare some time, please call Lily on 01329 825447.
Congratulations to Michael and Maureen Linfield who celebrate their 40th Wedding Anniversary. They will receive a blessing at 11am Mass today.
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.
THE UNION
Thought for the Week
This Sunday is a day of Remembrance. In particular it is a day
dedicated to remember and honour those who fought and died in the wars
of this century. For those who were there, it is not difficult to remember
how awful it really was. For those of us too young to remember, we can
only try to imagine the horror experienced by those who were there and
those that never returned. The only way I can imagine what it must have
been like is from films and documentaries that I have seen and from what
people have told me. These memories often portray the heroic and selfless
patriotism of war. However, often the most important memories are the
silent ones. Those are the memories that people talk about because of
the pain in them.
We have all seen how the war which has developed in Afghanistan, following the tragedy of two months ago, on September 11th, has given rise to hugely conflicting emotions and views. As a Christian, I find a tension between the nobility and the ugliness of war. Is it right to defeat evil through warfare, knowing the terrible costs of war? Or would the costs be worse, would evil get its way, if we refused to go to war? Is war the lesser of two terrible evils?
Finding myself with this dilemma, I turned to the Scriptures
to see what Jesus had to say about war and violence. Although I understand
that the Church accepts that there is a just war theory, nowhere in the
Gospels does Jesus say war and violence can defeat evil. Instead, Jesus
says: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you"
(Luke 6:27) and, "Do not resist one who is evil. If anyone strikes
you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt. 5:39).
Nevertheless, history has proved that war can be an effective and relatively
swift way of dealing decisively with evil and the fact that I have the
freedom to sit and write about my dilemma is largely due to the sacrifices
that have been made by the people we honour today.
Feeding the Homeless
During the year the parish help out at the Homeless centre on a monthly
basis. At Christmas the centre is open 24 hours a day for the guests.
If you can give 2-3 hours of your time on 28th December to help, this
would be much appreciated. Ring Kevin Field on 01329 238170.
Vacancies - St. George Catholic School
Lunchtime supervisors to work for one hour a day helping in the Canteen.
Please contact the school if you are interested.
Learning Support Assistant, 10 hours per week to work in a range of classes.
If you enjoy working with children or are considering returning to teaching
or becoming a teacher, this will be a good opportunity to develop your
skills. Exact hours will be to suit your needs. Please contact Mrs. Knight,
the Headteacher, at the school as soon as possible. Tel. 023 8032 2603.
St. Dominic's Priory Day of Reflection
Day of Reflection on Healing - Saturday 24th November 10 am - 4 pm at
St. Dominic's Priory, Shirley Holms Road,Lymington S041 8NH.
Offering for the day - £5.00. Further information from Sister Margarita,
01590 681874.
Eating in Church
Recently crisps, sweet wrappers and spent chewing gum have been found
in our churches. I would be grateful if this could stop immediately. PJT
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.
Blessing of the Graves
On Sunday 18th November we will have prayers at 3p.m. in Fareham and Roman
Grove Cemeteries.
On Sunday 25th November at 3 pm. prayers will be said at Portchester Crematorium.
11th November 2001
32nd Sunday of the Year
The Year of St Luke
|
12th Nov - St. Josaphat 14th Nov - Blessed Hugh Faringdon 15th Nov - St. Albert the Great 16th Nov - St. Edmund Rich, Patron Saint of the Diocese. 17th Nov - St. Elizabeth of Hungary |
The Parish Office
Thanks to Joan Hamilton and Anne Starbuck who are running the Parish office.
Please note that the office is open from 08.30 am - 13.30pm each weekday
except Thursdays.
Barbara Aspin RIP
Please pray for Barbara, who died suddenly last Wednesday in Q.A. A member
of the SVP and a well known member of our Parish, Barbara will be greatly
missed. Her funeral Mass will be on Monday 19th November at 9.30am in
Sacred Heart Church.
Diocesan Youth Sunday
The Annual Diocesan Youth Sunday will be held on 18th November 2001 at
St. Edmund's School and St. John's Cathedral, Portsmouth from 10 a.m.
to 8.30 p.m. For young people 11-18 years. Cost £3.50.
Shoebox Appeal
A large lorry will leave in November for a small village in Romania, taking
gifts in shoeboxes to families living in dire poverty. If your family
would be interested in filling a box, please contact either Alison Ivison
on Fareham 230049 or Denis Kavanagh on Fareham 311178, who will give you
further details. If you are unable to fill a box but would like to contribute
towards the cost of transport (£2,500) please put a £2 coin
into an envelope marked SHOEBOX and put it into the Sunday collection.
The Pilgrims of Spain
The Pilgrims of Spain would like to thank Father Paul for all he did to
make our pilgrimage such a wonderful and spiritual event. He is a good
and holy example to us all and we love and thank him for it.
Fr. Manuel
A number of people have requested Fr. Manuel's address. It is as follows:
Manuel Gonzalez Lopez-Corps. Pbro,
Ermita de San Isidro,
Po Ermita del Santo 78,
28019 Madrid, Spain.
Sacred Heart Messenger
Orders are now being taken for the following publications.
The Sacred Heart Messenger £7.20 annual sub.
Sacred Heart 2000 Calendar £1.50 + pp
Apostleship of Prayer £1.00 + pp
Please contact Anna Chandler 01329 234436 by Friday 23rd November.
Parish/Scouts Christmas Social
This takes place at St Philip Howard Hall on Saturday 15th December -
doors open 7.30pm. Tickets at £1 per head or £5 per family
are available from Graham Stanton - 01329 284057. More details in next
week's newsletter.
Parish Bazaar - Saturday 24th November 2001
Wanted - Any unused gifts in your household
are needed as donations for the Parish Bazaar. Please start digging deep
into those cupboards! Jewellery, books, bottles, toys, groceries, cakes
and toiletries are all required but no jumble please. Raffle tickets are
now on sale after every mass each weekend at all churches. Donations may
be left at the back of the church after weekend Masses from 20th October
2001.
Finance
Thank you for your generosity in giving
28th October -
Fareham £1665.80 - Portchester £153.60
4th November -
Fareham £1501.24 - Portchester £244.46
Bamenda - £952.79.
A Collection will be taken on 25th November for the National Catholic Youth 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