Newssheet 30 November
Advent & Christmas guidance
THE CATHOLIC PARISH OF OUR LADY AND ST JOSEPH SHERINGHAM AND CROMER
R.C. Diocese of East Anglia:
A Registered Charity (Charity Commission No. 278742)
News-sheet for week beginning Sunday, 30th November, 2008
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year 'B')
Weekday Readings for the 1st Week of Advent Psalms for Week 1
In Advent we await the Coming of Christ, Son of David, Son of Jesse (Isaiah, Chapter 11)
Dear Parishioners,
This Sunday is the FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. This is the day when we begin a new Church Year. The Readings and Prayers at Mass you will find under 'Year B' in your Missal or Mass Book.
There will be a CHILDREN'SLITURGY at the Cromer 9am Mass this Sunday. I hope this will be well supported and that we shall be able to continue to have a Children's Liturgy at this Mass on a regular basis. I am most grateful to Lorraine Henriksen and her helpers for organising this.
The Season of Advent is the time when we await 'in joyful hope' both the Final Appearing of Christ at the end of time and also the celebration of his Birth at Christmas. So that we may be ready wholeheartedly to welcome Christ and be ready to receive him into our hearts and minds, it is good that we share during Advent in the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
There is an Advent Reconciliation Service at 3pm on Saturday this week at the Catholic Church in North Walsham, with several Priests available to hear individual Confessions during the Service. Our own Parish Reconciliation Service for Advent will be at St Joseph's on Thursday next week (December 11th) at 7pm. I shall also be available as usual to hear Confessions this week at St Joseph's on Saturday at 9.30am and at Cromer on Saturday from 5pm.
Our Diocesan theme for the coming year - beginning today - is 'God's Gift of Creation' and our responsibility as God's co-workers and stewards in caring for the 'holy ground' on which we live our lives each day. Next Sunday there will be a Pastoral Letter from Bishop Michael on this theme, in place of the Homily.
On Mondays during Advent there will be EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT at St Joseph's for half an hour after the end of the 9am Mass. I hope that many of you will be able to take the opportunity of this privileged time of prayer to 'wait on the Lord'
There are a few remaining copies of the Advent and Christmas Season 'Walk with Me' booklet available at the back of the church at both St Joseph's and Our Lady of Refuge. Price 50p.
This weekend: CHRISTMAS HAMPERS! Please remember to put into the baskets your contributions for filling the Christmas Hampers that will be raffled on December 19th to raise funds for the Parish. There are boxes awaiting your contributions at the back of the church at Sheringham and also in the Hall at Sheringham and in the Hall at Cromer. Also, tickets for this Raffle are on sale this weekend.
This weekend at Our Lady of Refuge: various books from the Cromer Presbytery will be on display in the Presbytery Office - please take what you would like: donations gratefully received.
EVENTS THIS WEEK
Monday at 9.30am at St Joseph's: EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT (until 10am).
Tuesday at 12.45pm: Funeral Service at St Joseph's for the late Adelaide Carter, followed by Cremation at St Faith's Crematorium, Norwich.
Also on Tuesday at 12.30pm at St Joseph's: Fourth of the Advent Austerity Lunches (hosted this week by the Salvation Army). £2 for soup, roll and butter. These Advent Austerity Lunches continue every Tuesday until December 16th.
Tuesday at 7pm: S.V.P. Meeting in the Hall at Cromer.
Wednesday at 2pm: MASS AT CROMER FOR THE SICK AND HOUSEBOUND (with Celebration of the Sacrament of the Sick), followed by Tea in the Hall. The 'Our Lady of Refuge Choir' will be contributing some choral items during the Tea. (NB. No 9am Mass this Wednesday)
Also on Wednesday at 7pm: St Joseph's Choir Practice in the Hall.
Also on Wednesday at 7.30pm: Our Lady of Refuge Choir Practice in the Hall.
Saturday: RECONCILIATION SERVICE FOR ADVENT at North Walsham Catholic Church at 3pm.
PARISH CHRISTMAS LUNCH: The Lunch will take place at 'Foxgloves' (The Maze Garden Centre on the Cromer Road) on Thursday, 18th December at 12.30pm. There are now only a very few places left! Numbers have to be limited to 50. Please let Fr Denys or Keith Holt know if you would like to take up one of the remaining places.
CONFESSIONS FOR THE SICK AND HOUSEBOUND
Would those members of the Parish who are sick or housebound and would like Fr Denys to call to hear their Confession before Christmas, please let him know as soon as possible - so that a mutually convenient day and time can be fixed.
BEREAVEMENT: We offer our sincere sympathy and assurance of prayers to the family of Adelaide Carter, who died on November 13th.
MASS (WITH CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE SICK) FOR THE SICK AND HOUSEBOUND AT ST JOSEPH'S, followed by Tea in Hall: I would like us to have this Mass on Saturday, 13th December at 2pm. But that depends on enough helpers for transport and provision of the Tea afterwards coming forward. Would all those who can assist in any way please let Fr. Denys know by Wednesday of this week at the latest.
ADVANCE NOTICES.
PARISH FINANCE COMMITTEE: There will be a Meeting of the Parish Finance Committee on Monday, 8th December at 7.30pm at the Presbytery. Will members of the Finance Committee who have any items for A.O.B. please tell Brian Dewhurst.
SHERINGHAM TOWN CAROL SERVICE
This will take place at St Peter's (Church of England) Church on Thursday, 18th December at 7.30pm. I hope many members of our Parish will be able to come along and sing!
STOP PRESS! The Beeston Regis Mothers' Union are holding their Advent Meeting on Tuesday, December 9th at 2.30pm at the Guide H.Q. Cromer Road and extend a warm invitation to members of our Parish.
Refreshments will be served after the Meeting.
COFFEE MORNING AND DRAW FOR CHRISTMAS HAMPER RAFFLE: This will take place at Our Lady of Refuge after the 9am Mass on Friday, 19th December. Entrance £1.50.
'THANK YOU': I would like to express, on behalf especially of the community at Our Lady of Refuge, but also of others in the Parish, our thanks to Richard and Isobel Skelton for their service over many years in our Parish. Richard has served Mass regularly on Saturday evenings at Our Lady of Refuge; and Isobel has also assisted on the Readers' Rota. Richard and Isobel live at Briston and, now that family commitments no longer bring them to Cromer, they have decided to attend Mass in their home Parish. They will, I know be much missed. We wish them every blessing in the future.
Church Cleaning Rota at Sheringham: Team C (Diana Spalton)
Church Cleaning Rota at Cromer: Alan and Dorothy Shannon
Counters: SHERINGHAM: This week: K. Jones and N. Brigstock
Next week: P. Bowie & M. Otway
CROMER: This week: Susan Littlechild and Frank Russell
Next week: Mary and Peter Haynes
Collections last weekend: £736.70 (Sheringham: £374.70; Cromer: £362). 2nd Collection for the Diocesan Youth Service: £188.13..
If you were not at Mass in the Parish last weekend, please be sure to take a copy of last week's News-sheet. It contains important information about our parish finances [still on website]
THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCIL
As you will know, part of the process of uniting the former Parishes of Our Lady of Refuge and St Joseph's meant that the Cromer Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish-in-Council at Sheringham were brought to an end - so that a new Council for the new Parish could be set up. I have needed, as I trust you will understand, a reasonable period of time to settle into the Parish and get to know people before taking the necessary steps to establish the new Council.
It has seemed best to me to establish the new Council in two stages. First, I propose to set up a small Council, with four representatives from the Cromer end and four from the Sheringham end of the Parish, with the Parish Treasurer as an 'ex-officio' ninth member. After a year or so, I hope we can then increase the Council to twelve members (plus the Treasurer 'ex-officio'), with two members elected from Our Lady of Refuge and two from St Joseph's. In due course I shall consult the Council about future developments and the drawing up of a Constitution for the Council.
In the last week or so I have approached eight members of the Parish and have invited them to be the 'foundation members' of the new Council. I am delighted to say that all have accepted my invitation; and Keith Holt, as Treasurer, has also agreed to be an 'ex-officio' member.
The members of the Council from the community at Our Lady of Refuge are: Mary Haynes, Mary Mustoe-Arthur, Alan Shannon and Tony Webster. The four from the St Joseph's community are: Christine Blake, Brian Dewhurst, Paul Finn and Martin Harrington.
I am proposing that meetings of the Council be open to any members of the Parish who may wish to attend - and that those who thus attend be welcome to speak but not vote.
The Council will meet as soon as we can agree a date when all members are able to attend.
CHRISTMAS SERVICES IN THECATHOLIC PARISH OF OUR LADY AND ST JOSEPH, SHERINGHAM AND CROMER
Thursday, 11th December at 7pm: Parish Reconciliation Service for Advent at St Joseph's, Sheringham.
Saturday, 20th December: Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions) -
at St Joseph's, Sheringham 9.30am - 10.30am; and at Our Lady of Refuge, Cromer 3pm - 4pm (and from 5pm as usual on Saturdays).
Christmas Eve - Wednesday, 24th December: Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Refuge, Cromer at 9pm (Carols from 8.30pm); and at St Joseph's, Sheringham at 12 midnight (Carols from 11.30pm).
Christmas Day - Thursday, 25th December: Mass of the Dawn at Our Lady of Refuge, Cromer at 9am;
Mass of the Day at St Joseph's, Sheringham at 10.30am.
The Sea (from Langham Carmel window)
SICK AND HOUSEBOUND: Bishop Michael Evans, Fr. Michael Griffin, Fr Roger Spencer, Fr John Doman, At Sheringham: Carmela Boyle, Mary Mayes, Louise Bates, John Lawton, Roger Parsons, Angela Bronne, Victoria Skittrall, Julie Fisher, Patrick Boulton, Peter White, Norma and John Kelly, Dorothy Smith, Ken Sills, Dorothea Crux, Eileen Short, Mario Ricciardi, Billy Ault, Jim Gillick, Olive Scobie.. At Cromer: Kathleen Haddock, Joe Aylward, Jim and Barbara Cox, Charles and Molly Cullen, Ann Bailey, Bill Hogan, Len Wilde, Tracey Gowan, Thelma Luxford, Joan McKenna, Frank McNeillis, Rodney Nash, Anne and Patrick Buxton, Teddy Ratcliffe, Steve Beale, Dominic Fellowes, Christopher Browne, Patrick Clayton, Kathleen Heslin, Sue Juhl, Eileen Crossfield and all in the Parish to whom we take Holy Communion.
ANNIVERSARIES: Thomas Polding (1941), Ellen Whitlam (1997), Joanna Cant (1983), Joe Martin (2004), Margaret O'Keefe (1979), Robert Kneller (2002), Leslie Mayes (1997), Catherine Delaney (2005), Peter Dixon-Hall (1984), Leslie Goreham (2007), Ernest Silburn (1988), Joan Walmsley (1991), R.I.P. Please also remember: Deacon Francis Hanley (St George's, Norwich), who died last week.
DIOCESE AND PARISH INFORMATION:
The Bishop: Right Rev. Michael Evans: Tel: 01508-492202
The Parish Priest: Rev. Denys Lloyd: 58 Cromer Road, Sheringham NR26 8RT Tel: 01263-822036
e-mail: ourladyandstjoseph@btinternet.com
Website: http://www.northnorfolk.org/cromercatholicchurch/
Masses this week: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year 'B')
Saturday 6pm (Cromer): R.I.P. Jim Bailey
Sunday 9am (Cromer) Private Intention; 10.30am (Sheringham) R.I.P. Solomos Djerkallis and departed members of the Djerkallis Family
Monday (Advent Feria) (Sheringham): 9am R.I.P. Ashley Durbin
Tuesday (Advent Feria) (Sheringham: 7pm R.I.P. Kevin Hand
Wednesday (St Francis Xavier) (Cromer): 2pm Parish Sick & Housebound (per SVP)
Thursday (Advent Feria) (Holt): 9.30am Private Intention
Friday (Advent Feria) (Cromer): 9am R.I.P. John O'Grady
Saturday (Advent Feria) (Sheringham): 9am R.I.P. Leslie Goreham
Masses next weekend: SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year 'B')
Saturday 6pm (Cromer): R.I.P. Paula Ratcliffe
Sunday 9am (Cromer) R.I.P. John Connolly; 10.30am (Sheringham) People of the Parish
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession): Sheringham: Saturday 9.30am & by appointment. Cromer: Saturday 5pm - 5.30pm & by appointment.