Tel: 020 8778 9460 email: [email protected] 208 Sydenham Road London. SE26 5SE www.rcchurch.org.uk/sydenham Parish Priest: Fr. Peter Mansfield Assistant Priest (Sydenham & Catford): Fr. Regis Rubaya Year B; EP 3 Deanery website: lewishamdeanery.com 5th Sunday ~ Ordinary Time 8 February 2015 Parish Mass Book … Readings: P134 Mass Prayers P8. THIS WEEK 2nd Collection - Parish Development Fund NEXT WEEK 2nd Collection - Poor Parishes in our Diocese. Mass Intentions for the coming week Vigil Mass Sunday 8th Monday 9th Tuesday 10th Wednesday 11th Thursday 12th Friday 13th 6.30pm 9.30am 11.00am People of the Parish John Joyce RIP Genevieve Holland-Hitchings RIP Coffee in the Hall after 11am Mas 9.30am Intentions of Fr. Francesco Donega 9.30am Betty O’Brien - Well being St. Scholastica 9.30am John & Francis Hunt RIP Our Lady of Lourdes. Light of Christ Prayer Group - 8.00pm Mass in the Hall Mass at Church of The Resurrection 165 Kirkdale 9.30am 9.30am Paddy Conaty RIP Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction until 10.30am Sixth Sunday - Ordinary Time Vigil Mass Sunday 15th 6.30pm 9.30am People of the Parish Philip Kiernan RIP Sacrament of Reconciliation - Confession Every Saturday - 7.20pm (after evening Mass); First Saturday of the month at 12.30pm. The sacrament can also be arranged at other times by making an appointment with the Priest. The Legion of Mary meets Sundays in the Hall after 11am Mass New members are always welcome. SVP Next meeting Thursday 8.00pm. Taskforce will meet on Saturday 14th February at 10.15am. The Community Bereavement Group will be having lunch at the Toby Carvery on 11th February at 12.30pm 422 Upper Elmers End Road, Beckenham, BR3 3HQ Tel: 0208 6502233 http:// www.tobycarvery.co.uk/carvery/ . Anyone interested is welcome to join us. Buses from outside the church, 194 or 356 to SYDENHAM CATHOLIC CLUB (Watlington Grove) … Sky sports, darts, pool table and BIG screen showing Premiership and GAA games. Families and new members always welcome. Club available for all private functions and funeral receptions. Thursday night Quiz in aid of St. Christopher’s Parent/ Carer and Toddler Group. All are welcome to come along to the Church Hall on Tuesday and Friday mornings, 9.30 ‘til 11.30 am (term time only). Call Paula: 07761 530739 to find out more. Collections last weekend: Offertory: £788 Standing Orders £272 2nd Collection: £351 for Catholic Education Service. Thank you. We remember those who are sick: Sr. Agnes, Canon John Naughton, Jimmy Hartigan, Jeanne & Joe Williams, Vince Vella, Howard Byers, Maeve Laverty, Myra Donnellan, David Camp, Mercy Aerifa, Baby Edward Kowal, Anne Mackie, Trudi Foster, Steven Murray, Joe Hughes, Victor Walker, Hugh Garvey, Declan Daly, Sonny Caldinez, Bernard Loughran, Antoni Kowal, Dusty Miller, Patricia Edwards, Yvonne Knight, Patrick Freeney, Elaine Felix, Edward Garas, Christine Flannagan, Shirley Young, Ellen & Alexander Sweeney. Also those housebound or in our Residential Homes: Muriel Felix, Kathleen Keeffe, Antoinette Remice, Jan Wilson, Adrienne Hyde, Violet Miller, Elizabeth Turner, Ann Sheehan, Ellen Sweeney, Vera Curren, Margie George, Noleen Armstrong, Giovanna Ghezzi, Zeta Ghelfi, Margo Stafford, Margaret Rivers, Joseph & Charlotte Hadji, Genevieve Stanislaus, Madeline Edwards & Winifred Powell. Please pray for those recently deceased: Florence Caroline Brodie RIP and for those whose anniversaries occur at this time: Rita Coutain, Francis Xavier Mendes, Tom Curran, Teresa Formosa, Thomas Lydon, Alexander Cameron, Jim Clarke, Doris Mandeville, Annie Devenney, Sean Riley. Anniversaries Please pray for………………………………… my………………………… who died on ………………….. My Name: …………………. ….. Telephone:…………………. Katy De’Ath. We welcome Katy who will speak for a couple of minutes towards the end of the Masses this weekend. She will be saying a few words about our ‘11—14 years’ Youth Group and inviting more young people to come on Friday evenings. Since October last year Katy has been working as a Youth Minister in our Parish. She supports the Youth Group as well as leading the new Young Adults group. She is also involved in helping to plan the Confirmation Programme with the Catechists and myself. Katy is married with a baby. She is a member of St. William of York Parish, Forest Hill. She comes from North Carolina USA and has an experienced background with Catholic Parish Youth work. Katy’s role in our Parish is to collaborate with me in supporting our Youth helpers and Confirmation Catechists as well as helping with programme planning. If you would like to offer to help with the 11—14 Youth Group or become a Confirmation Catechist please let Fr. Peter know. Yours in Christ, 11-14 Youth Group Calling all youth ages 11-15! Join us Friday 13th February 19:00-20:30 in the church hall as we look towards Lent and talk about fasting, feasting, and our faith journeys. Why do people wear masks for Mardi Gras or eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? What’s with all the purple or the number 40? But, ultimately, how can we make this Lent THE BEST LENT EVER? We’ll be exploring the topic with games, fun, and interactive activities. Stop by before you start your half term holiday – new faces are always Young Adults 18-35 Our new group of young adults will be meeting again Tuesday 10th February from 19:30-21:00 in the church house and we’d like to invite you! Join us as we probe the topic of “Miracles” and plan for upcoming meetings. There will be refreshments, social activities, and a hearty discussion on miraculous moments and our powerful God. For more information, contact Katy De’Ath [email protected] 07725847814. Sacrament of Confirmation 2015. Enrolment forms available from Fr. Peter. It is the young person themselves who must request the enrolment form. The must also complete it and bring it back to Fr. Peter as soon as possible. Bishop Pat Lynch will be visiting our Parish on Friday 19th June 2015 to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation at 7.30pm Mass. Candidates must be at least in year 8 of Secondary school. There is no upper age limit. Those who apply must attend Church regularly. It is important that the young people concerned take responsibility for putting their name forward themselves and not their parents. The Newsletter and Church notices will give information about the programme in the coming weeks. The start date is Sunday 1st March at 5.30pm. Prospective candidates take on a commitment to come to the preparation programme every week during term time. On the application form they are asked to write a short letter in their own words saying why they wish to be confirmed. The preparation is aimed at helping those who enrol to come to a better understanding of this Sacrament so that they can make an informed decision as to whether they want Regarding Confirmation of Adults: We have a separate programme for Adult Confirmation 18 years and over. This is part of our 'Journey in Faith' process which begins in the Autumn. If any adult has not been confirmed, please contact Fr Peter. The Parish Council will meet in the Hall meeting room on Tuesday 17th February at 7.30pm. Nearly all the members are new as the term of office of former members came Special Ministers of Holy Communion. The following parishioners were recently commissioned at St. George’s Cathedral to serve as Special Ministers of Holy Communion in our Parish of Our Lady & St. Philip Neri. Our thanks to them for their willingness to serve in this capacity. Some will help at Mases and others will help with the sick and Housebound. Suzette Peterkin Jean Assamien Pauline Assamien Janet Ogori Josephine Ihonor Cecelia Aidoo READING INTRODUCTIONS FOR 5th. SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME. YEAR B By Dom Stephen McGurk. OSB INTRODUCTION TO LITURGY OF THE WORD For those called by God to preach the Good News, be they the Son of God, St. Paul or any priest of deacon today, the task is daunting and imperative. Even today in some parts of our world it carries with it the threat of the most extreme unpopularity leading even to death, as with Jesus. Evangelism is not for the mealy-mouthed or the faint-hearted. Ask St. Paul. FIRST READING Book of Job The Book of Job belongs to that body of writings known as the Wisdom literature dating mainly from the 4th century b.C. or more recent. However, this story may go back to very ancient times. It is a profound allegory about the meaning of life and of divine justice. Job is a man who has everything so God decides to test his faith. His animals are killed, then his sons and daughters, he is afflicted with a terrible disease and his wife and all but 4 of his friends disown him. Today’s text shows Job questioning the very meaning of life itself. SECOND READING St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians Today, Paul weighs up the pros and cons of being a preacher of God’s word. His mission has been very arduous and dangerous, he has suffered greatly but things would be far worse were he to opt out. It is not something he has taken on himself so that he could boast about his successes. No, it was received from God directly at whatever the cost and his responsibility is towards everyone, whether weak or strong and whatever their status. Here follows the reading… GOSPEL READING Gospel according to Mark In Mark’s gospel Jesus’ first attempts at evangelization are seem almost frenzied, and yet so far he has not met with opposition. He is still in Capernaum when he hears that the apostle’s families have their own needs: today it is Simon Peter’s sick mother-in-law. The crowds already have such confidence in Lewisham Deanery invite you to a presentation from the St Vincent de Paul Society Are you interested in helping those in need in your parish and local area? The Deanery Formation team have arranged for a presentation for the ten parishes in the Lewisham Deanery, from the SVP in the Parish Hall, Our Lady and St Phillip Neri, Church Hall, Sydenham on Tuesday 10th February 7-9pm, tea/coffee from 7pm. The presentation will allow those attending to find out more about the SVP and more importantly about how an SVP group might operate in your own parish. Kieran Knights from St Vincent de Paul, will explain the practical issues in recruiting and setting up a SVP group, as well as explaining what on-going support is available for new group.