PARISH OF THE SACRED HEART

Sunday Masses

Saturday 6:00pm (St.F) Int. + Karen, and her

decd. relations

Sunday 9:30am (St.F) Int. +Chris Twomey

11:00am (Con) Int. For the People

Weekday Masses

Monday ADVENT FERIA

9:30am (St.F) Int. +Helen Robinson

10:30am (Con) Int.

Tuesday ADVENT FERIA

9:30am (St.F) Int. Past & Present members of

The Catholic Women's League

Wednesday ADVENT FERIA

9:30am (St.F) Int.

10:30am (Con) Int.

Thursday ADVENT FERIA

9.30am (St.F) Int.

Friday ADVENT FERIA

11:00am (St.F) Int. Fr.John's surgery

Saturday ADVENT FERIA

6:00pm (St.F) Int. Fr.John's recovery

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

The Rosary Friday at 10:15am

The Mass today

The readings can be found on p.88 of the Parish Mass Book, and on p.70 of The Sunday Missal.

At the 6.0pm Mass Eucharistic Prayer 2

Sanctus & Benedictus Parish Mass Book p.16

(Angelus) Hymn 87

At the 9.30am Mass Eucharistic Prayer 2

Kyries Hymn Book 497

Sanctus & Benedictus Parish Mass Book p.16

Hymns : 801, 102, 808, 768

At the 11.0am Mass Eucharistic Prayer 2

Kyries Hymn Book 497

Hymns : 94, 983, 651

THIS WEEK ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

CONFESSIONS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Tuesday 10.0am (during Ezposition)

Wednesday Noon and 2.0pm

Thursday 10.0am and 5.0pm

Saturday 5.30pm (Fr.Michael)

PARISH NOTICEBOARD ZZZZZZZZZZZ

Anniversaries: June Elson (2001), Bridie Burns (2015), Settina Hutchinson (1998), William Demko (2008). May they Rest in Peace.

Money Matters Last week £508.10 was given at the Offertory and £102.67 for CAFOD. Today there is a retiring collection for the Dependant Priests Fund.

Wednesday Lunch Club Jenny writes 'We have just completed our 7th year. Thank you to all our supporters. This year we will be donating £1000 to Parish funds, £215 to St Elizabeth's Hospice and £215 to Help for Heroes. Including this year we have donated £5625 to parish funds and £3730 to a variety of charities. It is not about the money but giving the people the opportunity to socialise whilst enjoying lunch. We will be starting our 8th year a week later on 9th January at 12.30 pm. The menu is cottage pie, roulade, tea/coffee and still only £5. All are welcome but you must pre-book by contacting. Team Felix looks forward to seeing you and if you haven't been before, give us a try, it is a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere with plenty of chat.'

Mary's Meals Philip Hills writes 'I do hope that your jars are filling nicely. Remember it cost only £13.90 to feed one child in a place of education for a whole year, in some of the most deprived places in this world. Please return your jars, full or otherwise, next weekend. Thank you.

ARRANGEMENTS

I think most of you know that I am to go into Papworth Hospital next Friday for a heart bypass operation, which will hopefully take place on Saturday. I expect to be at Papworth for about a week, and will then begin a time of recuperation. I am not allowed to do anything at all for six weeks, and then for a further six weeks will only be able to do light duties. I expect to be back at the Presbytery therefore by mid-February, but will not be fully operational then.

As regards the Masses whilst I'm away, our old friend Fr.Michael Rear has most kindly undertaken to provide the three weekend Masses until the end of January just as usual. And further, he has generously agreed to celebrate the 11.0am Mass at St.Felix each Friday. Fr.Rear is committed elsewhere after the end of January, but Fr.John Ablewhite, an old friend of mine who lives in retirement at Ely, has agreed to cover the first two weekends in February. Priests are very thin on the ground at present, and we are very fortunate to have secured the services of these two good men. I'm sorry that there will be many weekdays when there is not a Mass, but it is just impossible to secure a full cover.

Concerning Confessions, you will see that I have put down one or two extra times this week for Confessions before Christmas - and whilst I am away Fr.Rear has agreed to be available each Saturday before the anticipatory Mass, from 5.30pm.

Our Parish Secretary, Teresa Whitley, has kindly agreed to keep the Newsheet going whilst I'm absent. Material for it must be put through the Presbytery door no later than TUESDAY each week, clearly marked NEWSHEET , as Teresa expects to be doing the Newsheet for the coming weekend on Wednesdays.

The Bishop intends to appoint Mgr.Tony Rogers, Parish Priest of Aldeburgh, as Acting Dean for the months of January and February : in an emergency he can be contacted on 01728 452782 - although often it is easier to get him on his e.mail address - tonybrucerogers@gmail.com.

It would probably be helpful for me to say now what the Christmas Masses will be. Sadly, I've not been able to get a priest to cover the 6.0pm Childrens Mass on Christmas Eve, which has been so very successful since it was introduced four years ago. On Christmas Eve, there will hopefully be a Mass at the Convent at 7.0pm, and then Fr.Rear will celebrate the Mass of Midnight at 9.0pm at St.Felix. On Christmas morning he will offer the Mass at the usual Christmas morning times - 9.30am at St.Felix, and 11.0am at the Convent - which are of course the usual Sunday morning times.

It really goes without saying that I would greatly appreciate your prayers at the time of my operation and afterwards, and I am most grateful for all the kind wishes that I have received in recent days.