Wishing you All a Very Happy & Holy Christmas
& A Heathy & Prosperous New Year for 2022
St. Edmund of Canterbury & St. Thomas More
Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: Focuses on the role of Our Blessed Lady in the whole of God’s plan of Salvation. In the beautiful Gospel of the Visitation we see the young Mary visiting her aged cousin Elizabeth, and sharing in her joy at having a child. The very young girl Mary, whose life had always been oriented to God, has humbly accepted God’s request to become the mother of his Son; and acceptance that changed the whole course of human history. Mary becomes a model of faith, and a model of the Church, which is why Our Blessed Lady is held in the highest esteem and reverence. As we journey with Mary & Joseph to Bethlehem once again, in these last few days before Christmas, let us pray for that same faith that enabled them to humbly respond to God’s holy will
ONGOING PANDEMIC: I’m sure none of us would have imagined that for a second Christmas we would still be in the throes of this Pandemic. But this Omicron variant has taken hold in our country and numbers are increasing exponentially on a daily basis. I’m sure we all know people with Covid at present. Please continue to try and keep yourselves safe & healthy. It is extremely contagious. Ensure that you get your ‘Booster Jab’ as soon a possible, otherwise our hospitals will be filling up and again and the NHS will continue to be stretched to capacity. Let us respect one another. Face Coverings are mandatory in Church now; Hand sanitation on entry and exit from church is encouraged. Also please kindly respect each other’s space. Churches are allowed to remain open. Please think seriously about which Mass you attend at Christmas; also I would seriously advise everyone not to attend the first Mass, we don’t want to have to turn people away because it becomes overcrowded! Thank You!
THANK YOU: Our Grand Draw this year raised £3,200.00, which is absolutely incredible under difficult circumstances. I’m so grateful to the whole parish community for your wonderful support. Thank you, to all who donated prizes and food items for Hampers. To Lorraine & Kelsey for making up all the Hampers; and to everyone who purchased Draw Tickets. I think there were a lot of Happy Winners on Sunday. There are still some outstanding Hampers to be picked up after the Masses this weekend. The hall will be open after all masses.
Dear Friends in Christ, 4th Sunday of Advent 2021
As we rapidly approach the great solemnity of the Incarnation of the Lord, we see today the important role of Our Blessed Lady. In these few remaining days, let us continue in our spiritual preparation of that Birth once again into our lives this Christmas. Jesus is the hope of all nations; he came to bring peace and reconciliation to the whole world. Let us thank God for the gift of his Son.
ADVANCED NOTICE & PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS MASSES
PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS: As we have just entered a new phase of this Pandemic with the Omicron variant already spreading throughout the world. I would ask all parishioners to kindly observe our requests to wear face coverings at Mass, and use hand sanitisation on entry and exit of church. We are not only protecting ourselves, but also one another.
There will be NO children’s mass again this year; and I would ask all parishioners to seriously think about masses they attend. Please don’t all turn up for the first mass of Christmas.
Christmas Eve Masses: 5.00pm, 7.00pm, 10.00pm (sung) Friday 24th December All With Christmas Carols.
Christmas Day Masses: 9.00am & 11.00am (sung)
Saturday 25th Deccember Masses with Carols
I would like to thank the whole Parish Community for your incredible support of the parish over the past twleve months, and throughout the whole of the Pandemic. A big thank you to all who have helped throughout the year, Altar Soceity, MC’s & Altar Servers, Readers & Eucharistic Ministers. Special thanks to the Stewards who have looked after us during this Pandemic. Thank you to Stephen Richardson & Iain McLay who publish our weekly Newsletters.
CATHOLIC CHIDLREN’S SOCIETY – Each year all the Crib Offerings go to the BCCS. This year especially when fund-raising has been at a minimum. Please be generous in your giving. Both Cribs will remain until the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2nd February. Thank you!
May God Bless You All This Christmas, Love & Peace
ELECTRONIC CHRISTMAS OFFERING: This year, as always, envelopes will be available for us to make our Christmas Offering, which, as you know, is an opportunity in every Catholic Church for parishioners to make a Christmas gift to your Parish Priest, which forms the major part of his salary. This year our Christmas Offering can also be made electronically. We just need to transfer the money to the parish account with the reference ‘Xmas Offering’. Please quote your Gift Aid Number also. Any questions please ask Iain McLay (bloggeriain@gmail.com). The details of the bank account are:
Reference: ‘Xmas Offering + GA Number’
Sort Code: 40-13-22
Account Number: 11019651
Account Name: Catholic Church Loughton St Edmund.
PARISH ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE: After consultation with the diocese, I have deemed it necessary to cancel the Penance Service on Monday 20th in light of this Omicron variant. I will hear confessions daily after morning Mass at 10.30am in the Confession Box in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. I will also be in the Confessional on Monday 20th at 8.00pm if anyone turns up. Apologies for the short notice; but health and safety at this time are extremely important. Thank you for your understanding!
PARISH ALTAR SOCIETY: The Grand Christmas Clean will take place on Tuesday 21st December at 9.30am. Please join us if you can for an hour or so to prepare the Church for our Christmas Masses. Also, if anyone would like to join the Altar Society please contact Sharon Fitzmaurice on 07854919207 or shazzafitzm@aol.com or Fr John
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS We will now break for Christmas and resume again on Thursday 13th January 2022. If you want to know more about the programme, and the whole RCIA process, please contact Fr John, Tel No: 0208 508 3492 or Email: loughton@dioceseofbrentwood.org
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMME: The classes will break for the Christmas holiday and resume again on Sunday 9th January 2022. My thanks to the Catechists and the children for leading us in the Sacred Liturgy last Sunday. Please keep all of the children in your prayers as their continue their scarametnal preparation.
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
PARISH ALTAR SERVERS: FEAST OF ST STEPHEN: As this falls on a Sunday this year, the special mass for all of our Altar Servers will take place on Sunday 26th December, it will be the Feast of the Holy Family. This is awlasy a very special Mass for our Servers and thioe families. Being a Sunday it will give the whole parish community the opportunity t thank our Altar Staff for your commitment and regular attendance Serving at the Altar. Sadly, we have lost a lot of our Altar Servers during the Pandemic, many have decided to give up serving. If there are any girls and boys out there who would be interested in learning to serve, please let Fr John know as soon as possible
IRREGULAR MARRIAGES: An Irregualr Marriage is one that has taken place outside of the Catholic Church without dispensation. For example: Marriages in hotels, and secualr venues, on beaches or Las Vegas; marriage in a non-Catholic Church without dispensation from the Bishop. These marriages are not recognised by the Catholic Church, and therefore are non sacramental & irregular. But there is a facility in the Church to recetify these situations called a Convalidation (this is a strictly private facility that is offered by the church). As marriage and family life is what I specialised in while studying Canon Law, if anyone wishes to speak to me confidentially please don’t hesitate to contact me: Tel No: 0208 508 3492
MARRIAGES FOR 2022: If anyone is planning on getting married in 2022, please could you make contact with Fr. John at the beginning of January. For those getting married in the parish we normally ask for six months’ notice; for those getting married outside of the parish at least nine months’ notice. The documentation and preparation takes quite a long time and organising Marriage Preparation Courses through Marriage Care in the responsibility of the Couple. To avoid any disappointments, please make contact as soon as possible.
ST JOHN FISHER CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, LOUGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL ADMISSIONS: As your parish school, St John Fisher provides a distinctively Catholic education for your children. St John Fisher is an excellent School where we teach your children, in accordance with our Mission Statement – “The love of God helps us all to live, learn, and grow to be a happy, caring and welcoming community.” St John Fisher School is a place filled with love of learning. It is a place where, as a Catholic community, we celebrate the successes of our children in all areas of school life through our distinctive curriculum. Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and encouraged. Please do see for yourself the excellent education and enhanced learning environment we provide. We welcome mid-year applications.
Visits are held every Monday at 9.30 am, with the Headteacher. Mr Kendal. Please contact the school on 0208 508 6315 or email:
admissions@st-johnfisher.essex.sch.uk to arrange a visit.
For admission to the school’s Reception Class, September 2022 please apply by 15th January 2022
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR OUR YOUNG PARISHIONERS CONFIRMED LAST JUNE
When we finished our zoom sessions just before you were confirmed in June, Fr. John, Mark Anthony and our catechists thought it would be good to follow up with some ideas for your interest and further involvement. These include:
A Sunday evening Parish Youth Mass: We’ve had a couple of these popular and enjoyable Masses over the past few years and hopefully we’ll be able to organise one, possibly early in the new year. The idea would be that you could get involved with the music and the readings and make it your own celebration. Hopefully, we can also have a social gathering in the Hall afterwards.
Summer Lourdes 2022: The Brentwood Catholic Youth Service is organising this great trip for young people throughout the Diocese and it will take place during late July. We can get full details for you and also our Parish could help in financing some of the cost if needed. You can meanwhile check this out on the BCYS website and there is also more details below in another notice (“BCYS Summer Lourdes Pilgrimage”)
The BCYS monthly Youth Mass: This takes place on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm in Brentwood Cathedral. Many young people from around our Diocese attend this regular and happy celebration.
Mark Anthony will shortly be sending you all an email to follow up on these ideas and he’ll be asking you to let him know of your interest in becoming involved in these ideas. Please chat among yourselves and decide to do something positive and worthwhile by saying ‘Yes, we’re interested!’
Thanks and God bless.
MESSAGE FROM OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER: Robin has highlighted two important points: (i) with the cold weather it is very wise for parishioners to wrap up when they come to mass as good ventilation will need to be maintained; (ii) it is very important that parishioners do not park in the central section of the car park as this blocks access that may be needed if an ambulance has to be called during mass.
WEEKLY OFFERTORY: My sincere thanks to those who are making their weekly contribution of Gift Aid envelopes and through the banking system that has been set up through the Diocese whereby your Offertory can be paid directly into the Parish Account, details below:
Or you can use Parish Bank Account: Using Online Banking
HSBC Sort Code 40-13-22 PLEASE BE GENEROUS IN YOUR
Account Number: 11019651 GIFT TO GOD & HIS CHURCH
MASS INTENTIONS: It has always been a custom within the Roman Catholic Faith to have an Intention offered when celebrating Holy Mass. Intentions can be for all occasions: e.g. For a deceased member of a family; deceased anniversary mass; Birthday intention; Special Occasions; Get Well Mass; Success in exams; Special milestone anniversaries, Wedding, Ordination, Confirmation. In fact, you can offer a Mass for almost every occasion! There are Mass Intention envelopes and Special Mass Cards for all occasions in the Repository at the back of the Church. (Please complete Mass envelope and enclose your Mass Offering and drop off at the Presbytery); I will always try to accommodate the date you have requested, or the nearest date to it. It’s always beautiful to receive a Mass card from someone!
PARISH FINANCES: As you can appreciate, during this pandemic the parish income took a severe hit, and we are still not back at the same levels as we were prior to 2020. My sincere and grateful thanks to those who have signed up for online giving and Gift Aid, this is helping. Many parishioners have not returned to the regular practice of faith, and many Gift Aid boxes were not collected this year. Please consider your weekly offertory to God.
BRENTWOOD CATHEDRAL: This Sunday afternoon at 4.00 p.m. in the Cathedral, the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols takes place with Bishop Alan. You and any members of your parish are very welcome to join us. For those people who cannot come to Brentwood, you may wish to direct them to this video which is on the Thresholds of Hope channel on YouTube https://youtu.be/4qsxJoZJulc or to share this link on Sunday on your own parish social media.
MASS INTENTIONS – DECEMBER 2021
| Sat 18th | 10.00am | Ann Campbell RIP ((B Bryant) |
| Vigil Mass for Sunday: Confessions at 5.30pm | ||
| Sat 18th | 6.00pm | Deirdre McShane RIP (Sheehy Family) |
| Sun 19th | 9.00am | People of the Parish |
| Sun 19th | 11:00am | Malcolm Campbell (B’day anni)(B Bryant) |
| Mon 20th | 10.00am | Peter McQuade RIP (Margaret Duffy) Confessions after Mass |
| Tues 21st | 10.00am | Mary Murphy RIP (Maureen Kisley) Confessions after Mass |
| Wed 22nd | 10.00am | Maurice Onwhuan (Nalan Hassan) Confessions after Mass |
| Thurs 23rd | 10.00am | Jospeh Nganda RIP (John O’Rourke) Confessions after Mass |
| Fri 24 Christmas Eve | 5.00pm 7.00pm 10.00pm | Gerlando Burgio RIP (Sheehy Family) Archie Campbell RIP (Brenda Bryant) John & Mary Harvey RIP (Fr John) |
| Sat 25th Christmas Day | 9.00am 11.00am | Grace McAuliffe RIP (Noreen Smith) Peter Smith RIP (Paul Falco) |
| Sat 25th | 6.00pm | NO VIGIL MASS CHRISTMAS DAY |
| Sun 26th | 9.00am | People of the Parish |
| Sun 26th | 11:00am | Peter Burns RIP, Bill Warnes RIP, Dan Bennett RIP, & Dec’d Altar Servers (D Knott) |
Please kindly be patient with your mass requests. I will try to accommodate your requested dates, but there have been a large number of requests recently and we celebrate masses in the order in which we receive them.
Parish Phone No: 0208 508 3492 Email: loughton@dioceseofbrentwood.org
4th Sunday of Advent
First Reading : Micah 5:1-4
The Lord says this:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
out of you will be born for me
the one who is to rule over Israel;
his origin goes back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
The Lord is therefore going to abandon them
till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.
Then the remnant of his brothers will come back
to the sons of Israel.
He will stand and feed his flock
with the power of the Lord,
with the majesty of the name of his God.
They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power
to the ends of the land.
He himself will be peace.
Responsive Psalm : Psalm 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
May your hand be on the man you have chosen,
the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Second Reading : Hebrews 10:5-10
This is what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel : Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD
Wishing you All a Very Happy & Holy Christmas
& A Heathy & Prosperous New Year for 2022
St. Edmund of Canterbury & St. Thomas More
Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: Focuses on the role of Our Blessed Lady in the whole of God’s plan of Salvation. In the beautiful Gospel of the Visitation we see the young Mary visiting her aged cousin Elizabeth, and sharing in her joy at having a child. The very young girl Mary, whose life had always been oriented to God, has humbly accepted God’s request to become the mother of his Son; and acceptance that changed the whole course of human history. Mary becomes a model of faith, and a model of the Church, which is why Our Blessed Lady is held in the highest esteem and reverence. As we journey with Mary & Joseph to Bethlehem once again, in these last few days before Christmas, let us pray for that same faith that enabled them to humbly respond to God’s holy will
ONGOING PANDEMIC: I’m sure none of us would have imagined that for a second Christmas we would still be in the throes of this Pandemic. But this Omicron variant has taken hold in our country and numbers are increasing exponentially on a daily basis. I’m sure we all know people with Covid at present. Please continue to try and keep yourselves safe & healthy. It is extremely contagious. Ensure that you get your ‘Booster Jab’ as soon a possible, otherwise our hospitals will be filling up and again and the NHS will continue to be stretched to capacity. Let us respect one another. Face Coverings are mandatory in Church now; Hand sanitation on entry and exit from church is encouraged. Also please kindly respect each other’s space. Churches are allowed to remain open. Please think seriously about which Mass you attend at Christmas; also I would seriously advise everyone not to attend the first Mass, we don’t want to have to turn people away because it becomes overcrowded! Thank You!
THANK YOU: Our Grand Draw this year raised £3,200.00, which is absolutely incredible under difficult circumstances. I’m so grateful to the whole parish community for your wonderful support. Thank you, to all who donated prizes and food items for Hampers. To Lorraine & Kelsey for making up all the Hampers; and to everyone who purchased Draw Tickets. I think there were a lot of Happy Winners on Sunday. There are still some outstanding Hampers to be picked up after the Masses this weekend. The hall will be open after all masses.
Dear Friends in Christ, 4th Sunday of Advent 2021
As we rapidly approach the great solemnity of the Incarnation of the Lord, we see today the important role of Our Blessed Lady. In these few remaining days, let us continue in our spiritual preparation of that Birth once again into our lives this Christmas. Jesus is the hope of all nations; he came to bring peace and reconciliation to the whole world. Let us thank God for the gift of his Son.
ADVANCED NOTICE & PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS MASSES
PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS: As we have just entered a new phase of this Pandemic with the Omicron variant already spreading throughout the world. I would ask all parishioners to kindly observe our requests to wear face coverings at Mass, and use hand sanitisation on entry and exit of church. We are not only protecting ourselves, but also one another.
There will be NO children’s mass again this year; and I would ask all parishioners to seriously think about masses they attend. Please don’t all turn up for the first mass of Christmas.
Christmas Eve Masses: 5.00pm, 7.00pm, 10.00pm (sung) Friday 24th December All With Christmas Carols.
Christmas Day Masses: 9.00am & 11.00am (sung)
Saturday 25th Deccember Masses with Carols
I would like to thank the whole Parish Community for your incredible support of the parish over the past twleve months, and throughout the whole of the Pandemic. A big thank you to all who have helped throughout the year, Altar Soceity, MC’s & Altar Servers, Readers & Eucharistic Ministers. Special thanks to the Stewards who have looked after us during this Pandemic. Thank you to Stephen Richardson & Iain McLay who publish our weekly Newsletters.
CATHOLIC CHIDLREN’S SOCIETY – Each year all the Crib Offerings go to the BCCS. This year especially when fund-raising has been at a minimum. Please be generous in your giving. Both Cribs will remain until the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2nd February. Thank you!
May God Bless You All This Christmas, Love & Peace
ELECTRONIC CHRISTMAS OFFERING: This year, as always, envelopes will be available for us to make our Christmas Offering, which, as you know, is an opportunity in every Catholic Church for parishioners to make a Christmas gift to your Parish Priest, which forms the major part of his salary. This year our Christmas Offering can also be made electronically. We just need to transfer the money to the parish account with the reference ‘Xmas Offering’. Please quote your Gift Aid Number also. Any questions please ask Iain McLay (bloggeriain@gmail.com). The details of the bank account are:
Reference: ‘Xmas Offering + GA Number’
Sort Code: 40-13-22
Account Number: 11019651
Account Name: Catholic Church Loughton St Edmund.
PARISH ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE: After consultation with the diocese, I have deemed it necessary to cancel the Penance Service on Monday 20th in light of this Omicron variant. I will hear confessions daily after morning Mass at 10.30am in the Confession Box in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. I will also be in the Confessional on Monday 20th at 8.00pm if anyone turns up. Apologies for the short notice; but health and safety at this time are extremely important. Thank you for your understanding!
PARISH ALTAR SOCIETY: The Grand Christmas Clean will take place on Tuesday 21st December at 9.30am. Please join us if you can for an hour or so to prepare the Church for our Christmas Masses. Also, if anyone would like to join the Altar Society please contact Sharon Fitzmaurice on 07854919207 or shazzafitzm@aol.com or Fr John
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS We will now break for Christmas and resume again on Thursday 13th January 2022. If you want to know more about the programme, and the whole RCIA process, please contact Fr John, Tel No: 0208 508 3492 or Email: loughton@dioceseofbrentwood.org
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMME: The classes will break for the Christmas holiday and resume again on Sunday 9th January 2022. My thanks to the Catechists and the children for leading us in the Sacred Liturgy last Sunday. Please keep all of the children in your prayers as their continue their scarametnal preparation.
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!
PARISH ALTAR SERVERS: FEAST OF ST STEPHEN: As this falls on a Sunday this year, the special mass for all of our Altar Servers will take place on Sunday 26th December, it will be the Feast of the Holy Family. This is awlasy a very special Mass for our Servers and thioe families. Being a Sunday it will give the whole parish community the opportunity t thank our Altar Staff for your commitment and regular attendance Serving at the Altar. Sadly, we have lost a lot of our Altar Servers during the Pandemic, many have decided to give up serving. If there are any girls and boys out there who would be interested in learning to serve, please let Fr John know as soon as possible
IRREGULAR MARRIAGES: An Irregualr Marriage is one that has taken place outside of the Catholic Church without dispensation. For example: Marriages in hotels, and secualr venues, on beaches or Las Vegas; marriage in a non-Catholic Church without dispensation from the Bishop. These marriages are not recognised by the Catholic Church, and therefore are non sacramental & irregular. But there is a facility in the Church to recetify these situations called a Convalidation (this is a strictly private facility that is offered by the church). As marriage and family life is what I specialised in while studying Canon Law, if anyone wishes to speak to me confidentially please don’t hesitate to contact me: Tel No: 0208 508 3492
MARRIAGES FOR 2022: If anyone is planning on getting married in 2022, please could you make contact with Fr. John at the beginning of January. For those getting married in the parish we normally ask for six months’ notice; for those getting married outside of the parish at least nine months’ notice. The documentation and preparation takes quite a long time and organising Marriage Preparation Courses through Marriage Care in the responsibility of the Couple. To avoid any disappointments, please make contact as soon as possible.
ST JOHN FISHER CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL, LOUGHTON PRIMARY SCHOOL ADMISSIONS: As your parish school, St John Fisher provides a distinctively Catholic education for your children. St John Fisher is an excellent School where we teach your children, in accordance with our Mission Statement – “The love of God helps us all to live, learn, and grow to be a happy, caring and welcoming community.” St John Fisher School is a place filled with love of learning. It is a place where, as a Catholic community, we celebrate the successes of our children in all areas of school life through our distinctive curriculum. Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and encouraged. Please do see for yourself the excellent education and enhanced learning environment we provide. We welcome mid-year applications.
Visits are held every Monday at 9.30 am, with the Headteacher. Mr Kendal. Please contact the school on 0208 508 6315 or email:
admissions@st-johnfisher.essex.sch.uk to arrange a visit.
For admission to the school’s Reception Class, September 2022 please apply by 15th January 2022
IMPORTANT NOTE FOR OUR YOUNG PARISHIONERS CONFIRMED LAST JUNE
When we finished our zoom sessions just before you were confirmed in June, Fr. John, Mark Anthony and our catechists thought it would be good to follow up with some ideas for your interest and further involvement. These include:
A Sunday evening Parish Youth Mass: We’ve had a couple of these popular and enjoyable Masses over the past few years and hopefully we’ll be able to organise one, possibly early in the new year. The idea would be that you could get involved with the music and the readings and make it your own celebration. Hopefully, we can also have a social gathering in the Hall afterwards.
Summer Lourdes 2022: The Brentwood Catholic Youth Service is organising this great trip for young people throughout the Diocese and it will take place during late July. We can get full details for you and also our Parish could help in financing some of the cost if needed. You can meanwhile check this out on the BCYS website and there is also more details below in another notice (“BCYS Summer Lourdes Pilgrimage”)
The BCYS monthly Youth Mass: This takes place on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm in Brentwood Cathedral. Many young people from around our Diocese attend this regular and happy celebration.
Mark Anthony will shortly be sending you all an email to follow up on these ideas and he’ll be asking you to let him know of your interest in becoming involved in these ideas. Please chat among yourselves and decide to do something positive and worthwhile by saying ‘Yes, we’re interested!’
Thanks and God bless.
MESSAGE FROM OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER: Robin has highlighted two important points: (i) with the cold weather it is very wise for parishioners to wrap up when they come to mass as good ventilation will need to be maintained; (ii) it is very important that parishioners do not park in the central section of the car park as this blocks access that may be needed if an ambulance has to be called during mass.
WEEKLY OFFERTORY: My sincere thanks to those who are making their weekly contribution of Gift Aid envelopes and through the banking system that has been set up through the Diocese whereby your Offertory can be paid directly into the Parish Account, details below:
Or you can use Parish Bank Account: Using Online Banking
HSBC Sort Code 40-13-22 PLEASE BE GENEROUS IN YOUR
Account Number: 11019651 GIFT TO GOD & HIS CHURCH
MASS INTENTIONS: It has always been a custom within the Roman Catholic Faith to have an Intention offered when celebrating Holy Mass. Intentions can be for all occasions: e.g. For a deceased member of a family; deceased anniversary mass; Birthday intention; Special Occasions; Get Well Mass; Success in exams; Special milestone anniversaries, Wedding, Ordination, Confirmation. In fact, you can offer a Mass for almost every occasion! There are Mass Intention envelopes and Special Mass Cards for all occasions in the Repository at the back of the Church. (Please complete Mass envelope and enclose your Mass Offering and drop off at the Presbytery); I will always try to accommodate the date you have requested, or the nearest date to it. It’s always beautiful to receive a Mass card from someone!
PARISH FINANCES: As you can appreciate, during this pandemic the parish income took a severe hit, and we are still not back at the same levels as we were prior to 2020. My sincere and grateful thanks to those who have signed up for online giving and Gift Aid, this is helping. Many parishioners have not returned to the regular practice of faith, and many Gift Aid boxes were not collected this year. Please consider your weekly offertory to God.
BRENTWOOD CATHEDRAL: This Sunday afternoon at 4.00 p.m. in the Cathedral, the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols takes place with Bishop Alan. You and any members of your parish are very welcome to join us. For those people who cannot come to Brentwood, you may wish to direct them to this video which is on the Thresholds of Hope channel on YouTube https://youtu.be/4qsxJoZJulc or to share this link on Sunday on your own parish social media.
MASS INTENTIONS – DECEMBER 2021
| Sat 18th | 10.00am | Ann Campbell RIP ((B Bryant) |
| Vigil Mass for Sunday: Confessions at 5.30pm | ||
| Sat 18th | 6.00pm | Deirdre McShane RIP (Sheehy Family) |
| Sun 19th | 9.00am | People of the Parish |
| Sun 19th | 11:00am | Malcolm Campbell (B’day anni)(B Bryant) |
| Mon 20th | 10.00am | Peter McQuade RIP (Margaret Duffy) Confessions after Mass |
| Tues 21st | 10.00am | Mary Murphy RIP (Maureen Kisley) Confessions after Mass |
| Wed 22nd | 10.00am | Maurice Onwhuan (Nalan Hassan) Confessions after Mass |
| Thurs 23rd | 10.00am | Jospeh Nganda RIP (John O’Rourke) Confessions after Mass |
| Fri 24 Christmas Eve | 5.00pm 7.00pm 10.00pm | Gerlando Burgio RIP (Sheehy Family) Archie Campbell RIP (Brenda Bryant) John & Mary Harvey RIP (Fr John) |
| Sat 25th Christmas Day | 9.00am 11.00am | Grace McAuliffe RIP (Noreen Smith) Peter Smith RIP (Paul Falco) |
| Sat 25th | 6.00pm | NO VIGIL MASS CHRISTMAS DAY |
| Sun 26th | 9.00am | People of the Parish |
| Sun 26th | 11:00am | Peter Burns RIP, Bill Warnes RIP, Dan Bennett RIP, & Dec’d Altar Servers (D Knott) |
Please kindly be patient with your mass requests. I will try to accommodate your requested dates, but there have been a large number of requests recently and we celebrate masses in the order in which we receive them.
Parish Phone No: 0208 508 3492 Email: loughton@dioceseofbrentwood.org
4th Sunday of Advent
First Reading : Micah 5:1-4
The Lord says this:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
out of you will be born for me
the one who is to rule over Israel;
his origin goes back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
The Lord is therefore going to abandon them
till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.
Then the remnant of his brothers will come back
to the sons of Israel.
He will stand and feed his flock
with the power of the Lord,
with the majesty of the name of his God.
They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power
to the ends of the land.
He himself will be peace.
Responsive Psalm : Psalm 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
May your hand be on the man you have chosen,
the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Second Reading : Hebrews 10:5-10
This is what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel : Luke 1:39-45
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD