13th Sunday Of Year C
In today’s Gospel, Jesus meets with apathy as he makes his way to Jerusalem. He is not made welcome in a Samaritan village and further on, others are not ready to follow him immediately. Being a disciple of Christ, as we are, requires a total commitment as we journey towards God’s kingdom.
St Peter & St Paul
Nowadays it is not often that we have a Holyday of Obligation during the week, a day when we are all expected to attend Mass. One such day occurs this Wednesday when we celebrate the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. Masses in the church will be at 9am and 7.30pm. There will also be a Mass in the Annunciation Infants School next door at 9.15am, and at the Annunciation Junior School at 2pm. There will be no Holy Hour this Wednesday.
St Peter and St Paul were foremost apostles, but quite different in character and in their mission. Peter was one of the twelve whose weaknesses are highlighted in the Gospels, but Jesus called him to be the rock on which the Church was built. After Pentecost, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, he boldly proclaimed the Good News and was prepared to suffer for his faith in Jesus Christ. Paul, who was dramatically converted to the faith after persecuting the Church, spent his life travelling to many places to spread the Word. He has been hailed as the world’s greatest missioner. This Feast Day is an opportunity to give honour to these great saints but also to encourage each of us to give our time to spreading the Good News by our example, prayer, encouragement and energy.
Peter’s Pence
This Sunday we have our annual collection for Peter’s Pence. This is a worldwide collection which enables the Vatican to distribute money to those most in need.
Harrow Mencap
Next Sunday Harrow Mencap are holding a coffee morning (also including tea and delicious cakes) in the Parish Centre. This will be available after each of the Sunday morning Masses. Harrow Mencap provides opportunities, resources and support for people with learning difficulties in the area. A retiring collection next Sunday will support them in this work.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Cardinal Vincent Nichols will be preaching on the Jubilee of Consolation at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Church (141 Woodhall Lane, Welwyn Garden City AL7 3TP) on Sunday 3rd July. There will be a Service with catechetical teaching at 4pm. This will be followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions around 5.15. There will be Mass at 6.30pm and finally social time. Come for a part or the whole period. Our Lady's Church has Jubilee Doors of Mercy for this Holy Year. All are welcome!
Meeting For Readers
On Tuesday we are having a meeting for our parish readers at 7.45pm in the church. We thank them for their dedication and Tuesday’s meeting is an opportunity to reflect on their important ministry.
Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist
Some people have queried who are ‘Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.’ It is the official title of what we know as Eucharistic Ministers. An ordinary Minister of the Eucharist is a priest or a deacon. When one or more of these are present at the Mass, they are the ones who distribute Holy Communion. When there are not sufficient Ordinary Ministers available, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist assist with the distribution of Holy Communion.
Walk to Church Sunday
We are having another Walk to Church Sunday on 10th July, following the successful project last October. Unless you are unable, we encourage you to walk to Mass that Sunday, thereby saving fuel. Let’s hope that the weather is fine.
Deborah Lodge Mass
The monthly Mass at Deborah Lodge will be on Friday at 3pm.
CAFOD collection for Ethiopia
Thank you for your contributions to last Sunday’s collection to help ease the food crisis in Ethiopia. We are sending £359.00 to CAFOD.
Baptism Preparation
The next session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised will be on Sunday 10th July at 4pm in the Dominic Room in the Parish Centre. Application forms can be collected from the sacristy.
First Communion 2017
Application forms are available in the porch for parents who wish to apply for their child to join the First Communion Programme. Forms should be returned by 11th September at the latest. The child should be starting in Year 3 or above next September. There will be an introductory meeting for the parents who have applied for their child on Tuesday 27th September at 7.45pm in the Parish Centre. There will then be 7 sessions for parents and 7 sessions for children during the course of the programme, starting on Tuesday 4th October for parents (7.45pm) and Sunday 9th October (9.15am) for children.
More Catechists Required
We need some more catechists to help prepare the children for First Holy Communion. This would be ideal for a parent whose child has already received Holy Communion and is familiar with the programme. If you are interested, please speak to Fr Colin or Vivian Sproule.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee meets on Thursday at 7.30pm in the Dominic Room.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy:
Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope;
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us;
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary
Four: 12/Summer Fayre
This year's Summer Fayre is on Saturday the 16th of July. It is a family themed day filled with face painting, a bouncy castle, an Xbox Zone, BBQ, a fully stocked bar, candy floss, tombola, cake sale, DVD and book sales, gardening corner and lots more. Many thanks to all those who have volunteered to help on the day. We are still looking for donations of cakes, toys and gardening items. All proceeds from the day goes to the Parish. Thank you for your continued support.
WATCH THIS SPACE— J.D.S
A Pastor opened his church on a Monday morning and found a dead mule outside. He telephoned the police, who said as there wasn’t any foul play, to ring the Health Department. They said as there was no health threat, call the Sanitation Department. The Manager of the Department said “I can’t pick up the dead mule without authorization from the mayor.” The Pastor was not eager to call the mayor as he had a very bad temper and was extremely unpleasant, but he rang him anyway. The mayor immediately began to rant and rave for some time and finally asked “Why did you ring me anyway? Isn’t your job to bury the dead?” After a brief prayer to the Lord, he found the right answer. “Yes Mayor, it is my job to bury the dead, but I always like to notify the next of kin first!”