PARISH OF THE SACRED HEART

Sunday Masses

Saturday 6.0pm (St.F) Int. +Hugh & Delia

Brannan

Sunday 9.30am (St.F) Int.+John Kaziow 11.0am (Con) Int. For the People

Weekday Masses

Monday FERIA

9.30am (St.F) Int. +Jonathan Coates

10.30am (Con) Int. Sr.Immaculata

Tuesday ST.AELRED OF RIEVAULX

9.30am (St.F) Int. +Alan Deveny

Wednesday ST.HILARY OF POITIERS

9.30am (St.F) Int. +Bill Pain

10.30am (Con) Int.

Thursday FERIA

No services today

Friday FERIA

11.0am (St.F) Int. The Hurford Family

5.0pm (Con) Int.

Saturday ST.FURSEY

11.0am (St.F) Int. +Ita English

6.0pm (St.F) Int. For the People

The Daily Office

Lauds (Morning Prayer) is said a quarter of an hour before the first Mass

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

Tuesdays at10.0am Benediction at 10.30am

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday 5.15 to 5.45 p.m. or by appointment.

The Rosary Fridays at 10.15am

The Mass today The readings can be found

on p.120 of the Parish Mass Book, and on p.139 of

The Sunday Missal.

At the 6.0pm Mass Eucharistic Prayer 3

Sanctus & Benedictus Parish Mass Book p.16 (Angelus) Hymn : 171

At the 9.30am Mass Eucharistic Prayer 2

Gloria 527-R

Sanctus & Benedictus Parish Mass Book p.16

Acclamation C

Hymns : 851, 172, 627, 171

At the 11.0am Mass Eucharistic Prayer 3

THIS WEEK

Friday 3.30pm The ABC (About Becoming Catholic) Group resumes its meetings at the Presbytery.

Saturday 8.45am Childrens'Activities at the Convent. Fr.John resumes the meetings with the First Holy Communion Parents.

PARISH NOTICEBOARD

Anniversaries this week Johanna Pope (2001), Lynn Goulden (2005), Roy Dawson (2008), Kenneth Leadbetter (1996), Elizabeth Durrant (1998), Rutland Barsby (2005), and Albert Schmitz (2004). May they Rest in Peace.

Money Matters Last Sunday £581.95 was given at the Offertory, and a further £111.79 for CAFOD.

Congratulations to Sr.Immaculata RJM, who celebrates her 101st birthday tomorrow. A great achievement. We send her our love and good wishes.

A small gold ring was found in the Hall last week. Fr.John has it at the Presbytery.

Prayers Our prayers are requested for Kenneth Doubleday, who is currently receiving treatment at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

Catholic Womens' League Jenny writes 'A reminder to our ladies who have booked to go to The White Horse on Monday 11th January - we will meet at 7.0pm for 7.30pm. Our first meeting of the year will be on Monday 8th February, and we are looking forward to hearing from our National Family and Health Officer, Alison Love. More details nearer the time.

Association of the Family of Jesus and Mary

Elizabeth writes 'Our next meeting on Wednesday 20th January at 7.30pm at the Convent is a talk about Coffee Break, an organisation which offers English conversation ( and much else) to ladies for whom English is a second language.'

Thank you Pauline Mayes writes 'Thank you for supporting our Cake Stall last Sunday. £171.98 was raised for MacMillan Cancer Support.'

A COMPLEX ISSUE

In recent weeks and months our hearts have gone out to the countless refugees, fleeing from intolerable conditions in Syria. We've recognized how terrible it must be to lose home, family members, employment, and live against a constant background of warfare and violence. And in this situation we've felt an immediate sympathy with people like the Archbishop of Canterbury who have called upon our country to open its borders to all comers who find themselves in the unhappy position of being refugees.

It seems perhaps churlish and uncharitable to even suggest that we should at least be mindful of the consequences of taking this path. But I was very impressed by an article I read some weeks ago, written by a well-known Catholic writer, in which he realistically noted the effects of a further swelling the numbers of Muslims in our country - and of course most of the refugees are Muslims. Maybe we are living in only the remnants of a Christian society in Britain, but surely we value what still remains of its Christian values and standards? Are we comfortable with the further watering down of what remains? Bearing in mind, of course, that Islam has always been eager to 'take over' and impose its teachings and moral code on whatever society it finds open to it. Maybe you read last week about the move to alter the dates of public examinations in our country so as to fit in with the Moslem Ramaddan fast, regardless of the fact that this would disadvantage our own students, giving them less time to prepare for their examinations? And maybe you heard that the Labour candidate for Mayor of London is a Moslem? I feel that our country is at something of a crossroads. How do we feel about an increasingly Islamicized Britain, in which Christianity is going to be further squeezed out?

I'm not necessarily arguing against an uncontrolled acceptance of refugees who belong to the Islamic faith. But I am arguing that we should not be swept by a wave of emotion into something which might promote the sidelining and eventual suppression of those things which we count as precious.

THE END OF CHRISTMASTIDE

Today, the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord sees the ending of the Christmas season. Last Sunday we kept the Solemnity of the Epiphany, and enjoyed following the Three Kings and the Star to the Epiphany Crib at the 9.30am Mass. (It is right that the Epiphany Crib should have a quite different character from the Christmas Crib, because St.Matthew tells us that the Wise Men came to Jesus 'in the house', and not in the stable.)

Traditionally, the Epiphany - or showing - of the incarnate Christ is seen as comprising three events, the Visit by the Wise Men, the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, and the first Miracle, at Cana. Today, as we celebrate the second of those events, we are led to see Who Jesus Is, as the Holy Spirit descends upon him, and the Father's voice is heard attesting him. And also to recall that by the Sacrament of Baptism, we have been joined to him.