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3 December 2017
First Sunday of Advent
Readings p82/Creed p11/Psalter Week 1
www.manxcatholic.org
Parishes of:
Saint Anthony of Padua, Onchan,
Saint Joseph, Willaston and
Saint Mary of the Isle, Douglas
Clergy: Monsignor John Devine (Dean), Father Brian Dougherty (Sub-Dean) and Rev Graham Priest (Deacon).
Based at: Saint Mary of the Isle, Hill Street, Douglas, IM1 1EG
Telephone: 01624 675509
Email: [email protected]
Parish office is open: Monday and Tuesday
1.00 to 4.00 pm. Thursday and Friday:
1.00 to 5.00 pm.
Funerals and Marriages: By arrangement.
Visits to sick and housebound: Please inform any of our clergy or the parish office if you know of sick or housebound parishioners who would like Holy Communion.
Hospital Visits: If you wish to see a priest please let the hospital staff know.
Repository: Open at the back of church after each weekend Mass.
Newsletter Notices: E-mail to [email protected] or hand in to the Parish Office by Thursday morning.
New to the Parish? You’re very welcome. Come and say hello!
Fr John writes… I clocked up my first Christmas dinner on 24th
November. Advent is my favourite time of year. And yet it isn’t practised by wider society. They are already celebrating Christmas even before Advent has begun. The sadness is that we are tired of Christmas when Christmas Day itself arrives. Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas. So how I do justice to this time of preparation when I am surrounded by Christmas itself? And how do I as a Christian, living in hope for the coming of Christ, remain connected with wider society? How do I participate in the many opportunities for reaching out and connecting with other people that even premature celebrations of Christmas provide?
Isn’t this just another example of the predicament faced by Christians in today’s world? How do I remain faithful to my faith in a pluralist society which does not share my belief? Should I withdraw, opt out and not participate? Should I take to the streets with placards condemning premature revellers or should I run the risk of accelerating the church’s decline by ‘giving in’ and joining the party? There are other examples: Abortion legislation is already going through Tynwald; couples live together and have children before marriage; shops are open on Sundays; bereaved families prefer pop music and secular readings to passages from the Bible and hymns at their funerals.
Should I as a member of the church see myself as ‘cultural warrior’ in an environment hostile to my beliefs? Should I be actively seeking to identify areas of conflict with the world around me so that I can take a stand? Should I be naming and shaming individuals who appear to be actively promoting policies and behaviour contrary to my beliefs? Am I called to protest up over a sausage roll in a manger or an Easter Egg for sale on Boxing Day? Am I called
to be a martyr barricading myself in my church and making occasional sorties into enemy territory to sabotage attempts to silence me? Do I believe that my Christian duty is to make the rest of the world wrong so that I can be right? And is my reluctance to follow that path a sign that I have and betrayed my faith and surrendered without a fight?
Fidelity to the Gospel does not demand that I adopt an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mind-set. On the contrary, the call to holiness leads me to find God in all things. God is not absent in today’s world even though he may be unrecognised. ‘True believers’ may be surprised by the number of people who are not blind to that truth but fail to recognise God in the structures of the church. Maybe religious ‘God’ language just doesn’t do it for them anymore. Many have abandoned the model of religion that I seek to perpetuate but which they see as sterile. And maybe Advent itself points to a ‘third way’?
The gospel for the First Sunday of Advent tells me to ‘Stay awake’, to be alert to the presence of God in the present moment. It is a call to me to find God in all the circumstances of my life; to reconnect with the God of my own experience. Advent is a call to me, not to other people. It is a call for me to find God today, whether that day
Lamp Intentions at Saint Mary of the Isle
Sacred Heart: Kelly
Marian: Premature Twins
Saint Joseph: People of our Parishes
Saint Anthony: Rohingyas Refugees
Last weekend Offerings: Thank you
St. A St. J St. M
318.00 866.00
Catholic Youth Services
170.00 272.00
be during Advent or on Christmas Day itself; whether it is in church, in the hospital, in Shoprite or deep within my own true self. And in order to raise my awareness of the God-who-is-with-us since the dawn of creation I need to pray. And if my belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is authentic then I must be equally prepared to recognise the Lord’s real presence everywhere else. As for judging whether my Christmas is more worthy or authentic than other people’s – well that’s above my pay grade. And I wonder where Jesus would rather be and who would have condemned him for his preference.
Developing a Dementia Friendly Church Was highlighted in last week’s
newsletter and more information available on print out at back of our Churches
May the Choirs of Angels come to greet;
Ella Cain
Requiem details to be arranged.
Francis (Frank) O’Neill
Requiem on Tuesday, 5th December at 12.00 noon at Saint Mary of the Isle,
Douglas
Alan Savage
Requiem on Monday, 4th December at 10.00 am at Saint Joseph’s Willaston
Susan Turner
Service on Friday, 8th December at 10.00 am at Saint Mary of the Isle,
Douglas
May the Lord grant them eternal rest and to their families and loved ones the
consolation of his Holy Spirit.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception Friday 8th December
is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. At 7.30pm that evening there will be a service of hymns readings and prayers in honour of Mary Untier of Knots at Saint Mary of the Isle, Douglas, in which we will revisit some of the themes of our recent Novena. On the final day of the Novena we
distributed small silk ribbons representing the new Hope that Mary gives us when we entrust our ‘knots’ into her care. There were insufficient ribbons for all who asked for them. In addition there may well be people who were not able to be present on that final day of the Novena, not least those who are housebound. More of these ribbons will be made available at our service of hymns and readings and prayers on 8th December. All welcome.
Pope Francis appeals for Rohingyas and calls the International Community to take “Decisive Measures” On the first day of his visit to
Bangladesh, after visiting Myanmar (Burma), Pope Francis launched an appeal for the refugees of the state of Arakan (Rakhine) in Burma on November 30, 2017. He appealed to the International Community to take “decisive measures” to resolve the “grave crisis” underway. Praising the
efforts of the Bangladeshi government in welcoming 600,000 refugees he appealed to the International Community
“to take decisive measures in face of this grave crisis, not only by working to resolve the political questions that have led to this massive displacement of people but also by offering immediate material assistance to Bangladesh, in its effort to respond effectively to the urgent human needs.”
Untier of Knots
Pray for us
Pope Francis says that Mass is a Prayer Speaking during November at a
General Audience in St Peter’s Square,
Pope Francis called the Mass a prayer,
‘the prayer par excellence’. ‘In
fact, it’s the encounter of love with
God through His Word and the
Body and Blood of Jesus,’ he said,
‘it’s an encounter with the Lord.’
Pope Francis went on to recommend
arriving at Mass a few minutes early to
spend time in silence with God – not
chat with others in church – and
prepare for the dialogue that follows.
‘We are not going to a show; we
are going to an encounter with the
Lord, and silence prepares us and
accompanies us,’ he said. ‘We
remain in silence together with
Jesus. And from God’s mysterious
silence gushes His Word, which
resounds in our heart.’
Here in our three churches on the
Island we might wish to consider
maintaining silence before Mass
when possible, even if only out of
consideration for others who
appreciate a few moments of quiet
time in their busy week. After Mass
we can then enjoy meeting and
greeting each other, catching up on
our friends, welcoming new
parishioners and visitors and maybe
staying behind for tea or coffee.
Saturday 9th Dec:
Morning of Prayer at St Johns Mill
Each topic will be led by those with insight into the needs of the area and in a style and form of their own choice. We hope that people will feel free to
come and go as their personal circumstances determine, but each would have an opportunity to receive hospitality from the Mill. 9.30 Ecumenical Communion
service led by Bishop Peter
10.00 Breakfast: Orange juice, Croissants and Pastries with tea and coffee.
10.30 Praying for our children and young people: SUMT
10.45 Praying for Families: Care for the Family
11.00 Praying for the World: Christian Aid & One World Centre
11.15 Coffee and biscuits
11.45 Praying for the clergy and those in full time Christian work: St. John’s Mill & Western Mission Partnership
12.00 Prayers for the Island: CAiM and GF4G team.
12.15 Time of Listening and Reflection: Acorn : Margaret Galloway
12.30 Fellowship Lunch: Soup and Roll
There is no fee as the event is sponsored by St Johns Mill, but any donations will be
divided between the participating organisations.
Sponsored Beard Since mid November Fr John is
growing a beard. He is inviting people to sponsor him to persevere until Christmas.
Any money raised will be divided equally between support for the Rohingya people fleeing genocide in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Salvation Army support for the vulnerable at Christmas here in the Isle of Man. Forms are available at the back of church. Thank you for your brilliant support so far .
Come to the Manger In addition to the Masses, at 2.00 pm
on Sunday afternoon (Christmas Eve)
at St Mary of the Isle’s Church
Douglas, there will be a short service
‘Come to the Manger’ to which
children, their parents and families are
invited to visit the crib and sing carols.
Services of Reconciliation with several priest available for private Confessions
Monday 18th Dec 7.00 pm at Saint Anthony, Onchan
Tuesday 19th Dec 7.00 pm at Our Lady Star of the Sea, Ramsey
Wednesday 20th Dec 7.00 pm at Saint Mary of the Isle, Douglas
Thursday 21st Dec 7.00 pm at Saint Columba, Port Erin
These are in addition to the regularly advertised weekly Confessions
Wednesday 6th December
Catholic Women’s League
Advent Service
6.30 pm at Saint Mary’s Douglas,
All Welcome
SVP Parish Christmas Party The SVP at St. Anthony's will be
holding their annual Christmas Party
on Saturday 9th December from 2.00
pm to 4.00 pm at Elim Community
Hall, Second Avenue, off School
Road, Onchan. Santa Claus has been
booked to appear and entertainment
will be provided by the Southern
Belles. Tickets available from mem-
bers of the SVP. Please note all chil-
dren must be accompanied by an
adult.
Prayer in preparation for the Eucharistic Congress 2018 and for Synod 2020 We thank you Father for the love you have shown us in the gift of Jesus, your Son. Keep us grateful each day for the blessings that surround us.
As we are fed by you, so now send us out to share what we have received with our hungry brothers and sisters. We humbly ask your help to become the Church that you are calling us to be: a community that listens, that trusts, that lives with courage and that puts out its nets into new waters.
May the gentle presence of Christ in our hearts be a source of healing, of new life
and of a deeper trust in you. We ask this in faith through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Advent Prayer cards In the Archbishop’s October Pastoral
Letter, he announced that the Archdiocese would embark upon a three-year journey of prayer, reflection and action which would culminate in a Diocesan Synod in 2020.
This year, we are all journeying in prayer to the Eucharistic Congress as a first step to Synod 2020. Resources such as prayer cards and Holy Hours are being developed to aid parishes in prayer. The first of these resources is the Advent prayer card—which is printed on the left.
Catholic Pic Copies of the Catholic Pic, the
official publication of the Archdiocese of Liverpool, are available FREE at the back of church. In addition to monthly columns by
both Canon Philip and Fr John there is a photo of Canon Philip and Monsignor Peter Ryan celebrating his Golden Jubilee at the Beda College in Rome.
Our Lady Queen of the Home If you would like to join a Rosary
Group why not consider “Our Lady Queen of the Home”. They meet on alternate Fridays at 11.00 am. If interested please telephone 615269.
Morning Prayer of the Church Don’t forget that each weekday
(Monday to Friday ) we gather in Saint Mary’s Church at 8.30am for Morning Prayer.
Midnight Mass Choir If you would like to come and be part
The Mass schedule for each of our
three parishes on the Christmas weekend
23-25th December 2017 is as follows:
Masses for 4th Sunday of Advent
Saturday 23rd
December
5.00pm St Anthony, Onchan
6.00pm St Joseph, Willaston
Sunday 24th
December
9.30am St Anthony, Onchan
11.00am St Mary, Douglas
Masses for Christmas
Nativity of the Lord
Sunday 24th
December
5.30pm St Mary, Douglas
6.30pm St Joseph, Willaston
9.00pm St Anthony, Onchan
12.00 midnight St Mary, Douglas
Monday 25th
December
9.30am St Anthony, Onchan
11.00am St Mary, Douglas
No Evening Mass
A separate leaflet will be available mid
December at back of Church with details
of Christmas Mass times throughout our
Island parishes
of the "Midnight Mass" Choir for Christmas Eve at Saint Mary's all welcome - rehearsals every Thursday in December from 7.00 pm to 7.30pm in St Mary's Church - It would be lovely to have members from our three parishes join us for this special occasion.
Advent Calendar Don’t forget to let the newsletter
know if your Parish group has an Advent/Christmas or New Year event please email or drop into the parish office the details in good time.
Christmas Cards for Sale We now have a large selection of
Greeting Cards for all occasions and Christmas cards for sale at the Repositories at St Mary’s and at St Anthony’s church. The Repositories are open after weekend Masses. Cards are also available at the back of St Joseph’s church.
For your diary Reflections on the Word with Fr
John: Next meeting on Tuesday, 9th January at 7.30pm in Meeting Room at the back of St Mary’s Church. All welcome With You Always: Next sessions on
Monday, 15th January at Grotto Hall at Saint Anthony’s and Wednesday 17th January at Saint Mary’s School. Both start at 6.30 pm.
Sunday: Tea and
coffee available
after morning
Masses.
Prayer of the Church:
Each weekday (Monday
to Friday) we gather in
Saint Mary’s Church at
8.30am for Morning
Prayer. All are
welcome.
Wednesday at
2.30pm Legion of
Mary in the Grotto
Hall at Saint
Anthony’s. New
members always
welcome.
Thursday at 6.30pm:
Saint Anthony’s
Church choir:
Practice at St
Anthony’s Church,
Onchan (until
7.30pm). All
welcome
Thursday at 7.00pm:
Midnight Mass
Choir Practice at St
Mary’s Church, (until
7.30pm). All
welcome
Friday at 7.30 pm:
CaFE group (Catholic
Faith Exploration)
meet at Grotto Hall,
Onchan (until
9.30pm). Everyone
Welcome
First Sunday of Advent
Saturday 5.00 St Anthony’s Ann Fox
2rd
: 6.00 St Joseph’s People of Our Parishes
Sunday 9.30 St Anthony’s Agnes, Bernard & Evelyn Denver
3rd
: 11.00 St Mary’s Michael and Sarah Garrity
7.00 St Mary’s Dave and Ann Corkill
Monday 10.00 St Anthony’s Service of Word and Communion
4th
: 10.00 St Joseph’s Requiem: Alan Savage
12.10 St Mary’s Bridget Gaffey RIP
Tuesday
5th
: St John
Almond
10.00 St Anthony’s Mamma Rosa and Papa Cesare Leonetti RIP
10.00 St Joseph’s Service of Word and Communion
12.00 St Mary’s Requiem for
Francis (Frank) O’Neill RIP
Wednesday 10.00 St Anthony’s Service of Word and Communion
6th
: 10.00 St Joseph’s George Herbert Corrin
12.10 St Mary’s Tony McCormick
6.30 St Mary’s CWL Advent Service
Thursday
7th: St
Ambrose
10.00 St Anthony’s Papa Giovanni & Mama Giuseppina
10.00 St Joseph’s Service of Word and Communion
12.10 St Mary’s Helen Devlin
Friday 10.00 St Anthony’s Service of Word and Communion
8th
:
Solemnity
of the
Immaculate
Conception
10.00 St Joseph’s Jan (speedy Recovery)
10.30 St Mary’s Service for Susan Turner RIP
12.10 St Mary’s Dave Corkill (80th
Birthday)
7.30 St Mary’s Service for the Immaculate
Conception
Saturday 11.00 St Mary’s Confessions until 11.50 am
9th
: 11.00 St Mary’s Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
12.00 St Mary’s Service of Word and Communion
Second Sunday of Advent
Saturday 4.30 St Anthony’s Confessions until 4.50
9th
5.00 St Anthony’s The Wood Family
6.00 St Joseph’s Eddie Mc
Convey
Sunday 9.30 St Anthony’s Jean Louise Neale
10th
11.00 St Mary’s Johnnie Johnson (80
th
B’day)
7.00 St Mary’s People of our Parishes
