5th October, 2013 – First Mass (Twenty Seventh Sunday)

WELCOME

Times of Mass and Devotions
Sat   5 Oct	5.30pm	HA	First Mass	Aron Wise (RIP)
Sun  6 Oct	9.15am	HF	Twenty Seventh Sunday	Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
	11.00am	HA		Paul Vella (RIP)
Mon  7 Oct			NO MASS
Tue  8 Oct	10.30am	HF	Week 27 in Ordinary Time	Ursual & Blance Lewis (RIP) Nov. List
Wed 9 Oct	9.30am	HA	Week 27 in Ordinary Time	Deceased members of the Lee family (RIP)
Thu 10 Oct	7.30pm	HF	Week 27 in Ordinary Time	Gloria Holland (RIP) Nov. List Nov. List
Fri   11 Oct	12.00pm	HA	Week 27 in Ordinary Time	Deceased members of the Watkins Family (RIP) Nov. List
Sat  12 Oct	5.30pm	HA	First Mass	Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
Sun 13 Oct	9.15am	HF	Twenty Eighth Sunday	For our young people going to University for the first time
	11.00am	HA		Matilda Roberts (RIP)

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions)
Holy Angels, Ash: First Friday of month after 12pm Lunchtime Mass
Holy Family, Farnham:  First Thursday of month after 7.30pm Evening Mass
Special Services with Confessions at both Churches for Advent and Lent

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament everty Wednesday at Holy Family @ 7.00pm (in Church Hall)

 (Parish Office Hours: 9.30am – 1.30pm)

                        Please note:  HF = Holy Family, Heath End, Farnham and HA = Holy Angels, Ash

 

Special Collection

There will be a retiring collection TODAY at all Masses to help provide food and support for those in need.

 

Liturgy

27th Sunday of Year C
Theme: Faith gives us a new vision of the world

Entrance:          HA: 846  HF: 40 Amazing Grace
Offertory:          HA: 956  HF: 288 I watch the sunrise
Final Hymn: HA: 721  HF: 568 O Lord my God

 

Holy Family Church Catholic Parish Farnham, Hale, Weybourne & Badshot Lea

Harvest Donations: Thanks for the outstanding contributions to the Harvest Festival for the Foodbank; we received so many groceries, it was fabulous.

 

Mother and Toddler Group – Meet every Thursday morning from 9.30am until 11.30am in the Church Hall (during school term)

 

Harvest Donations:  Thank you to all those parishioners who so kindly donated food at the Harvest Thanksgiving Mass last Sunday.  The Foodbank was extremely grateful for the large amount of groceries which were handed in.

 

Thank you from Rita Berry and family: Rita Berry and her family would like to express their sincere and grateful thanks to everyone who helped make Bernard’s Funeral such a special and moving occasion.  It will always remain a special memory for the family.

 

Mother and Baby Group: Is held every Tuesday at 10.30 in St. Mary’s Room.  If you have a young baby or toddler and fancy an hour to relax over a cup of coffee and a biscuit why not come along.

 

Information

Jubilee Small Groups

The Autumn Session of our DIOCESAN Jubilee discussion groups started on Monday, 7^th October.  Anne Martindale will be hosting Gloria Craven’s group.  Please contact your discussion group host for further details or Fr. David or Deacon John if you would like to join or host a group.

 

Prayer Group – for both Holy Angels and Holy Family takes place once a month on a Tuesday.  The next dates are as follows: 8^th Oct and 5^th November, 2013. Coffee at 7.30pm for 7.45pm start. To be held in the Parish Office

 

BAPTISMS

Baptism Course: Monday, 11^th November, 2013 Please make an appointment to see the Priest/Deacon to discuss what you need to do to prepare for your child’s baptism. If you are new to the Parish, please complete pink Registration Form and make yourself known to Father David or Deacon John after Mass.

 

Prayer Requests

Please remember the sick in your Prayers, Sheila Bone, David Morgan and Edd Turnell.    Thank you.

If you would like prayers for friends or family members, please first check with that person that they are happy for their name to be mentioned in the weekly Newsletter.

Our Young People of our two Parishes

Please remember in your prayers the young people from our two Churches who have gone to University for the first time this term.  We pray that they may have the opportunity to settle in well and make good friends.

 

Experiment at Ash

The lady who now runs the Church Gift Shop has asked if we could experiment with the Gift Shop in a new position which involves temporarily closing half of the hall door.  If it proves to be successful the proposal is that the entrance doors be ‘swapped’ with the existing cupboard doors.  Judy is very keen for people to have access to religious gifts and so we have agreed to the change for an experimental period of six weeks.  Before deciding if it is a good proposal and worth swopping the entrance doors over.  Thank you for your patience and understanding with this project.

 

Reflections on today’s Gospel

Twenty-Seventh Sunday of the Year C
The canyon was exceedingly deep, with jagged protruding rocks anchored in its walls.  A thick strong wire was tightly stretched across the 250 foot span which separated the two banks.  Confidently, a 30 year old acrobat walked the slightly swaying wire, as the tense crowd watched and cheered.

Next, blindfolded, he performed the same feat, and the admiring crowd cheered louder.  Finally pushing a wheelbarrow full of sand, he crossed the canyon again, with the wire sagging almost to the point of breaking.  The moment his steady feet touched solid ground, the terrified people went wild with praise for his bravery.

“You can do anything on the high wire,” one young man shouted, hugging the courageous acrobat.  “You’re the greatest I’ve ever seen.”  Picking up a shovel, the performer began to remove the sand.  “So you really believe in my ability?”  “Oh yes, I believe in you, man;  I really do.  You’re the best there is”.  “Well then,” replied the trapeze artist, “I’ll cross the chasm once more and this time you get in the wheelbarrow.”  Suddenly the young enthusiast lost all his faith.

How easy it is to cheer at a distance for a particular person or project – but the closer we get to the real danger involved, the quieter we become.  What we thought was strong faith, turned out to be no faith at all.  We may have many faith-filled answers for others who are enduring a severe illness, a deep depression or a family death – but when problems touch us, we may be fearful, cursing and faithless.  It is very hard to keep faith in both good times and in bad.  Perhaps that’s why Jesus says in today’s Gospel that even a tiny bit of faith will enable us to do marvellous deeds.  When the Lord explained the power of faith to his apostles, they on the spot prayed in unison, “increase our faith.”

Our Christian faith must of necessity be firmly anchored in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we try to build on another basis we will fail.  How much confidence do you place in the Master?  If Jesus were the trapeze artist on the high wire and He asked you to cross over the chasm with Him, would you be afraid to get into the wheelbarrow? (by Father James McKarns)

 

Another short Reflection

I’m not always certain what others mean when they talk abut charity.  Many would associate the word with giving help to the poor or less fortunate.  In a general sense we are told that the word expresses the sentiment of love.  I thought the explanation I read in a Church magazine recently made all the shades of meaning perfectly clear:

What is Charity?

It is silence, when words would hurt;
It is patience, when your neighbour is curt;
It is deafness, when scandal flows:
It is thoughtfulness for another’s woes;
It is promptness, when duty calls;
It is courage, when misfortune falls.

Having read that I think I have a much clear idea of what charity is all about.

(Taken from The Friendship Book)