Jesus was brought out of the ordinary into a place where he was tempted off course. Three big temptations, namely… a) to comfort, b) power, c) wealth. Three ways that can take us over. Money, power and comfort can lead us astray – wanting wealth, to be always the first (Number One) and prioritise comfort in various ways.
The words of Jesus are to use all in service of God and the neighbour.
He goes back to the word of God to find strength and insight to fight off evil. Words he learned at home, school.
A big source of energy for us is the word of God. On Ash Wednesday, the invitation was to believe the good news. That is where we may find life and strength.
We remain in the church not because of bishops or even improvements in structures, but because of Jesus Christ. The word of God in his gospel remains life-giving and strong.
Today’ scripture shows us that temptations happen often to take us off the path. So does the unexpected and the scandals of the institution has happens in many of the national institutions. At a time when church life leaves us a bit down and weak; remember, it is the Spirit who led Jesus into the desert and kept him strong there - the Spirit will do the same for us.
DAILY READING Something for Lent: to read a bit of the gospel every day. Pray your own favourite gospels. Read the gospel to the children. We look to the word of God to build us up as God’s children and community and find strength to use all in the service of God and others in love.
1st Deuteronomy 26:4-10. Offering the firsts fruits of harvest, they give thanks to God
Psalm (from Psalm 90). Response: Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble
2nd Romans 10:8-13. The core of our credo is that Jesus is our Saviour and Lord
Gospel Luke 4:1-13. Jesus was tempted like we are, but he did not sin
BAPTISM
FUNERAL
MASS VIA YOUTUBE Mass is streamed live on Wednesday (9.30am) and Sunday (11.15am). To join, just click on the YouTube icon on the parish website shortly before Mass starts. Due to demand, this service will continue for the foreseeable future.
ONE HOUR REFLECTION on the meaning of Lent using the scripture readings of Lent. (Kevin Hughes MHM) Tuesday 8th March after Mass in St Joseph's Church and Wednesday 9th March after Mass in St Edmund Campion Church.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS Each Friday from 11th of March, the Stations of the Cross will be prayed in our parish via Zoom. The Stations of the Cross have formed part of Christian devotion at Passiontide for many centuries because they enable us to engage actively with the path of suffering walked by Jesus. They originated when early Christians visited Jerusalem and wanted to follow literally in the footsteps of Jesus, tracing the path from Pilate’s house to Calvary. They would pause for prayer and devotion at various points. Eventually, those pilgrims brought the practice back to their home countries and ever since then Christians of differing traditions have used this form of devotion.
Please join us on the Zoom link each Friday at 6pm. Each week the Stations will be prayed from a different perspective. https://zoom.us/j/3566151692.
LENTEN APPEAL for W.O.R.K. Parishioners will be given a jam jar to collect money in, and supplementary details of the WORK project during Lent. Jam jars can be the returned to the Parish Office, or John Lynn after each of the weekday / weekend masses. Any queries please contact John Lynn on 07931 292934 who is a member of the Knights of St Columba (KSC) who are coordinating the appeal.
CHARITY NOMINATIONS Every year the Parish donates 10% of collections to Charity. Please, if you have a Charity close to your heart, nominate them. You can contact the Parish office to do this, and the Charities will be decided at the next PPC Meeting.
FIRST FRIDAY Each First Friday will see a ‘Healing Mass’ being celebrated alternately at St. Joseph’s Church and St. Edmund Campion Church for 2022. We bring together all our needs and especially asking God’s healing spirit upon people and situations in our parish. You are very welcome.
The First Friday of the month is also traditionally a time when a priest visits a home to anoint anyone who is house bound, with holy oil, and to administer the sacrament of Holy Communion. The parish has several people on this list. If you, or someone you know would like a visit from a priest, then please contact Fr. Liam or Fr. Ephraim.
FACE COVERINGS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING Please, It is encouraged, from a moral and respectful point of view, to continue wearing face masks during Public Worship. This indeed, is not a legal requirement, and several of our parishioners have an exemption from wearing masks.
If you wish to continue adhering to social distancing in the Church, then please arrive at least 10 minutes before Mass, and a section in the church will be reserved for you. Please, please respect the distancing in this area so that people can worship in peace and comfort. If you do not arrive before the Mass starts it will not be possible to guarantee a place in this area.
“SHIELDING” for those in our community who continue to join at the Eucharist via YouTube on a regular basis, but for one reason or another, cannot physically come to the Church, and would like to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, please let Fr. Liam or the parish office know. Fr. Liam will bring the Holy Sacrament to you whilst adhering to social distancing and a safe environment.
Mill Hill Missionaries National Novena to Saint Joseph in St Joseph’s Church
Thursday 10th March: Opening Mass at 7.30pm
Friday 11th March: Mass at 7.30pm
Saturday 12th March: Mass at 10am
Sunday 13th March: Mass at 11am
Monday 14th March: Mass at 7.30pm
Tuesday 15th: Mass at 7.30pm
Wednesday 16th: Mass at 7.30pm
Thursday 17th: Mass at 7.30pm
Friday 18th: Mass at 7.30pm
SIF FORMS FOR SCHOOL APPLICATION Fr Liam is available by appointment to sign SIF Forms, please remember to bring your stamp cards showing Mass attendance.
STAGE 2 CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME The Confirmation will be held at Portsmouth Cathedral on Sunday 8th May at 3pm. Session 4 is on Saturday 5th March, 4:45pm at St. Joseph's Centre. Session 5 is on Saturday 12th March, 4:45pm at St. Joseph's Centre
STAGE 2 FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CLASS Saturday 5th March, 10am at St. Edmund Campion School.
RCIA RITE OF ELECTION Saturday 5th March, 11am at Portsmouth Cathedral. Catechumens and Candidates from all over the Diocese will gather to be formally enrolled for Reception into the Catholic Church, which will take place at the Easter Vigil 16th April. We have ten adults in the process of being received into the Catholic Church and becoming full initiated members of our community. Three from St. Joseph's parish and seven from St. Edmund Campion parish. Please pray for them.
STUDYING, REFLECTING and PRAYING WITH THE NICENE CREED Every Sunday we proclaim our faith at the Eucharist. This short course is to help us understand what we believe. We will be studying, reflecting and praying with the Nicene Creed. The sessions will be on Wednesdays at 7pm, starting on 16th March for four weeks. Please see the poster. (Duration: 60 minutes).
NOURISHING OUR SPIRITS A Seminar for Women. Saturday 12th March 2022. 9:30am to 12:30pm St. Joseph's Parish Centre, Speaker: Dr. Judith Thomas. How do we nourish our spirits in today's ‘troubled’ world? Come and spend some time (no discussion groups) to find out what will nourish and energise our innermost selves? Let's look at Scriptures and past traditions to examine our spiritual tool kit —and trust that the Holy Spirit will bring an abundance of God into our lives!
The seminar is free of charge but registration is required. To Register please email Margaret Tackney, Seminar Administrator: margarettackney@yahoo.co.uk
CAFOD LENT FAST DAY It is CAFOD’s 60th anniversary this year and Lent Fast Day will be on Friday 11th March, focusing on preventing malnutrition. The climate crisis is making it harder to find healthy food around the world. Farmers in many places can no longer grow enough food to feed their families and coronavirus has made things much worse for many people. You can make a difference by supporting Lent Fast Day – giving up a meal or a treat and donating the money saved to support CAFOD’s work. Children from the school will be speaking about CAFOD on the weekend 5th/6th March and envelopes and prayer cards will be available. As always, thanks very much in advance for your generosity.
CAFOD Family Fast Day 11th March – Small acts of love can make big things happen. CAFOD was able to respond very quickly to the current emergency by sending £100,000 to our partner agencies Caritas Poland, Moldova and Ukraine. Donating to CAFOD this Lent will enable local experts across the world to provide support to families in times of need or conflict. You can donate in church using a CAFOD envelope or by visiting the CAFOD website: cafod.org.uk/lent CAFOD has launched an online appeal as well: Ukraine crisis: How you can help | CAFOD.
UKRAINE SUPPORT CAKE SALE Many families in our community have been affected by recent events in Ukraine. There will be a cake sale after mass on Sunday 13th March at the Parish Centre to raise funds for those affected. If you are free, please pop in for some cake after Mass. All of the money raised will be doubled and donated to one of the following charities: Polish Humanitarian Action, The Ukrainian Red Cross, UNHCR, ICRC, World Vision or UNICEF. If you would like to contribute some cakes, please contact Sandra Beale on 07904194428.
FIRST FRIDAY ADORATIONS FROM JANUARY TILL SEPTEMBER St Edmund Campion Church Ruby Jubilee Celebrations are taking place in September 2022. In order to prepare for this, we are hosting a novena of 9 first fridays to pray, to meditate, to fast and to give joy for everything to all that our church community has offered us over 40 years of service and the faith and support it has given to our families. If you can come for an hour or 2 hours or even whole evening starting on the first Friday of January (7th) from 7pm until 8am Saturday morning. We would love to start a rota, where a number of people could do this on the first Friday of each month from January through to September in preparation for prayer and our celebration. During this time the church will be open through the night and everyone is welcomed to come and stay with the Lord. Please contact or text Agnieszka on 07871 258181 or email gnieszka@gmail.com.
THE COWSHED The Cowshed is a new charity which provides support to people of all backgrounds in Berkshire experiencing hardship. The aim of The Cowshed is to provide good quality clothes and other essentials to anyone in need. They offer their services to people from all faiths and none.
We would like to ask you to look at their website and donate whatever you can from their list. New Year is a good time to de-clutter and start afresh and perhaps pass on gifts that you have received and will never use. We will be accepting donations this weekend (15th & 16th January 2022). There will be labelled boxes available. Please find more information about The Cowshed on their website: www.thecowshed.org.
PARISH COLLECTION Please continue to support your parish, its activities and outreach programmes by contributing to the weekly collection via the 'baskets' and/or Contactless. It is very positive that a lot of our parishioners, over the course of the pandemic, switched their contribution from cash to Bank Transfer.
NB: If you want to set up a direct debit or standing order (or even make a one-off donation) the account details are:
Account name: St. Edmund Campion Maidenhead
Sort code: 30-93-04
Account number: 00882551
PARISH “CELTIC CABARET” with Steve Carroll, on Friday 25th March in the School Hall, in aid of the Lenten project. Tickets on sale for £10 (to include cheese & wine BYOB) after all Masses next weekend or phone Kathryn on 07708 094818.
JOHN PAUL II AWARD This is a faith achievement award for young people between the age of 16 and 18. It is non-competitive, inclusive, flexible and voluntary.
The Award enables participants to take an active part both in the life of their Church and in the life of their community and society. For further details, contact Jonathan on manorcott@outlook.com or 01628 626527.
WEDNESDAY BRIDGE CLUB All past bridge players and parishioners who would like to learn the game are invited. Please contact John Lynn for more information.
THURSDAY CLUB Meets every other Thursday (next is 20th March). Open to everyone, of all ages. A chance to meet up, have a coffee and a chat. We also organise occasional speakers and days out. Please contact Angela for more information.
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY If you, or anyone you know, are in need, or would appreciate a friendly chat, in person or over the phone, from one of our number, please call 07749 917134 for further details.
YOGA CLASSES continue every Tuesday at 12 noon in the parish centre. For more information contact Rachel at wellhappyyoga@gmail.com or the parish office. Now on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/wellhappyyoga) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wellhappyyoga/).
COX GREEN LUNCHEON CLUB For more information contact Ruby Doughty on 01628630703 or rubydoughty@yahoo.co.uk.
TODDLERS GROUP Every Friday from 8:45 to 10:45am in the Parish Centre. Contact Jenny on jennyoliver51@hotmail.com for more information.
PARISH HALL The Parish Hall is available to hire, for parties, celebrations, meetings, training, classes and anything else you can think of. It’s a great community space, and is available for £25 per hour.
To celebrate National Bird Box week we heard from Órlagh and Vincent about the work they are doing to care for God’s creation and in particular how they are making the land around the church more wildlife friendly. You were invited to do the same at home and many of you placed an order for your own homes for bees, birds, hedgehogs and bats. You can still do so by going to www.BNBG.org.uk.
This is part of the Eco-Church scheme we have signed up to which asks us to look at five areas: our church buildings, the land around it, how we include looking after our planet in our worship, supporting other communities impacted by climate change, and making changes in our own lives.
We have other activities planned for later this year and would be happy to hear from you if you would like to get involved or have an idea of your own. Please contact Sarah Bowden (bowden.sarah@googlemail.com).
LIBRARY We have a parish library located in the foyer of the Parish Centre. One bookcase is dedicated to Theology/Religious books, another bookcase to Fiction/Non-Fiction and a third smaller bookcase to children's Bibles/Bible stories etc. Please feel free to borrow/swap.
If you would like to donate, we can only accept books that are in excellent and clean condition. Thank you and enjoy.
FOODSHARE We are a collection point for Foodshare. Our collection area is just inside the porch doors, but if you leave food outside, out of hours (in a bag or other covering) the building is regularly checked. Foodshare are currently really in need of tinned vegetables and tinned meat, amongst all the regular donations.
APPOINTMENTS If you wish to speak to Fr Liam or Fr Ephraim in confidence on any matter, please contact either one for an appointment. They are happy to visit your home if so desired, adhering to social distancing guidelines.
HOUSEBOUND If you know of anyone who is sick and/or housebound, please let Sarah (Parish Office), Fr Liam or Fr Ephraim know so that a visit can be arranged.
FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES, FOR THE COMING MONTHS
Father Ephraim will be the ‘link person’ for pastoral matters concerning the parish of St. Joseph’s and St. Elizabeth’s. He will also be chaplain to St. Mary’s school.
Father Liam will be the ‘link person’ for the parish of St. Edmund Campion and will be chaplain to St. Edmund Campion school.
Fr. Ephraim and Fr. Liam are on call each day and will serve our community as best they can. You can call either of them on their mobile numbers, contact them via email or visit them at St. Joseph’s Presbytery. As we enter a new liturgical year, the four or five weekends of a month will see the same priest celebrating Mass in that particular parish. So, for January, Fr. Liam will preside at weekend Masses at St Joseph’s & St. Elizabeth’s and Fr. Ephraim at St. Edmund Campion. The following month they will swap around.
THE WELCOMING MINISTRY (Mass Rep) is dedicated to helping all parishioners and visitors enhance their worship experience at Mass by making them feel welcome and included in our Eucharistic celebration, helping them connect with our parish, and participating in the numerous ministry opportunities offered at St. Edmund Campion. The Mass Rep is the ‘overseer’ in ensuring that the various ministries during Mass are fulfilled. Further, they are there to help you with any queries.
We thank our mass reps:
6:15pm Saturday: Reena K. 9:30am Sunday: Elvira E-M & Shirley F. 11:15am Sunday: Julie C.
ADMISSION INTO ST EDMUND CAMPION SCHOOL AND NURSERY is based on Mass attendance for some categories. In our parish, we have an attendance card available from the table in the church lobby. Every time you come to Sunday Mass please get your card stamped. For information on the current Admissions Policy see the school's website, www.st-edmund.org.uk.
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