Parish Christmas Buffet Lunch

Adult formation / RCIA: The programme is open for everyone to attend, no credentials required! The programme continues this Monday, 7th April at 7 pm . Appropriately, we consider the First Easter, fulfilment of the Old Testament.

The third reading is likely to be on 25th April, although there has been mention of the reading being delayed. The Bishops of England and Wales have sent a pastoral message on the issue, copies are available at the entrances to the church. Additionally, Lord David Alton of Liverpool and Baroness Jane Campbell write: “Our nation stands at a crucial juncture regarding how we value human life, particularly the lives of people in the most vulnerable situations. If this significant proposal to introduce assisted suicide becomes law, thousands of individuals will be placed at risk in the coming years. Mounting evidence from the small number of places around the world that have legalised assisted suicide shows that these laws are incremental, the safeguards do not work, and that the changed law can have devastating consequences. It is therefore imperative that the Assisted Suicide Bill is defeated at Third Reading.” ‘Not Dead Yet UK’ a network of disabled people who oppose legalising assisted suicide, have sent out post cards for you to mail to your MP. The post card presents evidence-based reasons to oppose assisted suicide, urging MPs to oppose the Bill at the Third Reading. Please take a postcard, fill in the necessary details and post it off to your MP. THANK YOU. As has been said, purely in terms of economics, and to re-iterate the point, with a much lower than needed fertility rate in the UK, which in the longer term (20 to 30 years) will create a smaller revenue for HMRC with a smaller work force, the longevity of life which so many presently enjoy and the subsequent increasing medical costs with a tighter hold and additional expenses on the public purse, should this Bill succeed, then, just as has happened with the 1968 Abortion Act and the ‘safeguards’ the same will happen with this Bill.  The safeguards of the 1968 Abortion Act stipulated: “a pregnancy is terminated by a registered medical practitioner if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith….” (Abortion Act 1967 1967 CHAPTER 87 Paragraph 1:1 See:- Abortion Act 1967 ) a quick browse of the internet for the ‘morning after pill’ readily demonstrates that 2 medical practitioners ‘of good faith’ are no longer required; one therefore, has to ask, what will the ‘Assisted Dying Bill’ bring in 50 years’ time with ever tighter Government purse string and a significantly smaller tax contributing population? This Bill needs to be opposed for the common good of society at large and greater funding for palliative care through which pain can be very much managed in these Isles.

Could we have an ‘all hands on deck spring clean’ of the church next Saturday, 12th April at 2pm , please? If you can wield a broom, brash, duster, dust pan or spray polish, your help would be appreciated. Many thanks.

The timetable for Holy Week is as follows: Palm Sunday: (Saturday/ Sunday 13th April) Masses start from the hall with our palm procession. Maundy Thursday (17th April) Mass of the Last Supper 7.30pm with ‘watching’ at the altar of repose until midnight. Good Friday (18th April) Liturgy of the Passion: 3pm with veneration of the Cross Stations of the Cross: 7 pm Holy Saturday (19th April) 10am Polish Blessing of baskets (in church, in English) Easter Vigil Mass 8.30 pm Easter Sunday (20th April) Dawn Mass 8am , Mass of Easter Day 10am Readers and Special Ministers of Holy Communion:- Would those who assist in these ministries please ‘sign up’ to assist with the different Holy Week Liturgies, please. Lists for each day are in the sacristy. A number of readers are required for the Passion Narrative on Palm Sunday and Good Friday and also for the individual readings for the Easter Vigil.  Many thanks

First Holy Communion and Confirmation programmes will continue as of 29th April; details will be available in the newsletter.

HOLY HOUR :- This Thursday from 7 until 8 with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. All are welcome.

GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION:- We take the opportunity to remind you that on Good Friday there is a collection for the Holy Places in the Holy Land; this collection helps the missionary work of the Franciscans, supporting the upkeep of the holy sites, for which they are responsible as well as the schools, hospitals and other endeavours. EASTER OFFERING A reminder also that the collection at the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday is your personal offering to Fr. Ian. PLEASE NOTE that if you usually contribute by some kind of internal bank transfer, BACS / standing order etc. but you wish to make a personal offering, then you will have to stipulate to your bank that any such offering to Fr. Ian should be annotated accordingly; if offerings are not annotated as such, then they will go into the general parish funds, rather than to Fr. Ian! The Easter Offering, along with the Christmas Day Offering, are the major source of personal income for the whole year for the diocesan priest in Arundel and Brighton, so we ask you to be as generous as you can. ‘Easter Offering’ envelopes will be available at the church entrances and given the varied manner of financial transactions, the ‘Easter Offering’ envelopes are possibly the least ambiguous manner of offering. Many thanks.

WE DARE TO HOPE Lent Study Group: Focusing on the virtue of Christian Hope. Each Tuesday, at 11.00am in St. Joseph’s hall. Meetings will last around 75 mins.

ROSARY CIRCLE FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS:- If you haven’t already done so, but would still like to commit to praying a decade of the Rosary each day during February, then please do put your initial or a tick in one of the boxes on the ‘Rosary Circle’ chart in the church porch. Our thanks to all those who have ‘signed up’ already to be part of the ‘Rosary Circles’. So as to keep this spiritual exercise in our minds and hearts, the first Sunday of each month is a ‘sign up’ weekend, when people can recommit to this by 'signing up again' or indeed take up this prayerful activity. Let it be said, however, that anyone can join the Rosary Circles at any time, so, even if you haven’t done so thus far, please be encouraged to do so. Details of how to be involved are on the notice in the church porch. PLEASE BE PART OF A ROSARY CIRCLE PRAYING FOR PRIESTLY VOCATIONS FROM THE PARISH! Thank you. Prayer for vocations to the Priesthood: ( Dropped in through the presbytery letter box, so a ‘thankyou’ to the courier) God our Father, look in love upon our homes, our families and our communities. Raise up from amongst us worthy priests to preach the Gospel to all people, to minister at your altar and care for your flock. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and make us faithful and inspiring witnesses to your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen