We like people with a ‘backbone’; people who have the courage of their convictions; who follow through on what they say they will do, and who are not wishy-washy. Jesus was like that!
Jesus feels a fire in his heart and in his belly and he wants it to be lit. The fire is the fire of justice - wanting the justice this widow was due. The job of the judge at that time was to care for the widow and orphan, the neglected ones of society. She had a right to his assistance.
What he stands for, the church stands for, even with opposition. This is a culture which supports life at all stages; which speaks out against any injustice; which supports love and wants to encourage relationships of real and genuine love.
The Church supports the elderly and vulnerable, and a culture of sharing rather than accumulation of wealth; works and supports peace in the world; and joins the fire of Jesus to bring the reign of God alive in the world.
The fire of Jesus is the fire of love, compassion and justice - three core values of the Christian and the Church. We need to keep all that alive and not get caught up in administration and buildings, even overriding regrets about the past.
Can we hope that we can be a Church that fulfils and makes alive the best of the fire of Jesus? He 'has come to bring fire to the earth' and wants it to be kindled.
Lord, may your kingdom come.
READINGS
1st. Book of Exodus 17:8-13. When Moses prays with arms outstretched, God gives victory to his people.
Responsorial: Psalm 120. R./: Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
2nd. 2 Timothy 3:14_4:2. Timothy stays with the sound doctrine he has been taught since childhood.
Gospel: Luke 18:1-8. Like the persevering widow calling for justice, we are never to grow discouraged.
MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday 15th 6.15pm Kathleen Edwards, RIP who died recently.
Sunday 16th 9.30am James and Mary Reddy SI Birthday Remembrance
Sunday 16th 11.15am Ellen Heuston RIP who died recently (Sister of Charlotte MacGeever).
Sunday 16th 11.15am First Wedding Anniversary of Natalie Barnes & Phil Cowell.
Fred Jennings RIP (20th Anniversary. Husband of Louise)
Gerald Ross RIP (25th Anniversary)
Monday 16th 9.30am Ellen Heuston RIP who died recently (Sister of Charlotte MacGeever)
Wednesday 19th 9.30am Ellen Heuston RIP who died recently.
Pat Cook Birthday Intention
Friday 21st 9.30am Willie Cummins RIP (11th Anniversary).
Edgar De Sousa RIP SI
George Alcorn RIP (2nd Anniversary).
BAPTISMS
Saturday 15th October Harry and Theo, children of Daniel and Linda Saunders.
Sunday 23rd October Hugo and Charlotte, children of Christopher and Francesca Hughes.
FUNERAL SERVICE
Monday 17th October 11.15am. Burial Service of the late Michal Morzajew RIP.
MISSION SUNDAY 23rd October 2022 Share Your Faith – Give Life
World Mission Sunday is celebrated in every Catholic community in the world. It’s a moment of grace to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are living in situations of poverty, violence and oppression. Every parish, school and community is invited to join this special event. And every penny, pound and prayer you give helps missionaries everywhere continue their work.
World Mission Sunday will be celebrated next weekend 22nd/23rd October.
Donations are collected at these worldwide Masses and they go, in their entirety, to support churches, hospitals, schools and vocations in countries where the Church is new, young or poor.
Pray with the Global Church
World Mission Sunday is our chance to show love and solidarity to our brothers and sisters overseas who share our faith. In offering our prayers, we join with missionaries everywhere in communion and compassion to support them in spreading the Good News, and by giving a donation we respond to Christ’s call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
Next weekend there will be a second collection taken to support our brothers and sisters in churches that are new, young or poor.
WORK (Widows and Orphans of Rural Kenya) It is with great joy that we welcome back Mary Jane Butler MBE to our parish for the weekend of 15th/16th October. Mary Jane has been involved with the parish of St. Edmund Campion for a long time and, as a community, we have supported her charity for the past six years and given substantial amounts of money, volunteer hours and prayer.
She will talk at all the Masses next weekend about this charity in East Africa, giving us an update of the development of the various projects, but more importantly, the development and life experiences of some of the people we help to empower.
RED MISSIO BOXES We will be emptying your red boxes this month. Please bring your box to the Church and leave them in the porch or the parish office. Alternatively you can give them either to Louise Jennings or Barbara McWalter at 11.15 Mass. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
SEMINAR FOR WOMEN, BRIDGING THE GAP Saturday 29th October 9.30 am - 12.30 pm at St. Edmund Campion Church Hall, Maidenhead. A Seminar for Women examining how, with faith, we can better deal with life's transitions. How can we bridge the gap of life's inevitable transitions with positivity? Speaker: Dr. Judith Thomas
No discussion groups, just come along and listen. Refreshments are provided. The Seminar is free but donations to cover expenses would be appreciated. Bring a friend!
Registration is required. Please email Margaret Tackney, Seminar Administrator at margarettackney@yahoo.co.uk or on 0794 156 8974
MUSIC GROUP CONCERT The concert by 9.30 music group and friends will be on 5th November, 7.30 pm in the school hall. Tickets £7.50 including bread and cheese supper. Please bring your own drinks. To reserve tickets, please speak to the music group or email Mary at mary@bluestring.co.uk.
RUBY JUBILEE CELEBRATION The new date for the celebration is the 21st of January.
HOSPITALITY 18.15 Please join us after the 18.15 Mass on Saturdays. We would love to welcome back our regulars and add some new faces to the mix too
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY LITURGY Children from the age of 4 can attend. Please put your child’s name on the register as you go into the church for Safeguarding purposes.
We’re asking you, as a member of our community and over 18 years of age, to consider the possibility of being a catechist/helper during ‘Sunday School’. For more information, please contact Tricia Opalko on patricia.opalko@st-edmund.org.uk
SCHOOL FOUNDATION GOVERNOR We are currently looking for a foundation governor to join our friendly and hardworking local governing body. Our governors have a range of skills and experience, and all share a common interest of wanting the best possible education for all the children in our school and nursery. St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School and Nursery forms part of the Frassati Catholic Academy Trust. Foundation governors are practising Catholics, specifically appointed by the Bishop to ensure the preservation and development of the school’s Catholic character and to ensure that the school is being conducted as a Catholic school. Please see further details attached to the newsletter. Friday 21st of October is the closing date for applications.
CAFOD HARVEST FAST DAY THANK YOU FROM CAFOD – the Harvest Fast Day collection last weekend raised £1160. Thank you so much for your wonderful generosity and also to the children and young people who spoke at the Masses to promote the appeal. Your donations will help CAFOD’s local experts to provide emergency food supplies to families worst affected by the food crisis in East Africa and support communities around the world working hard to put food on the table.
ALL SOULS MASS OF REMEMBRANCE 2nd November 2022. Dear Parishioners, we are nearing the time of year when we remember those dear to us who we have lost. If you would like the name(s) of your deceased family and friends (who have died during the past 12 months) recorded in the Book of Remembrance – and who are not already in the book - there are 2 ways to do this, either by sign up sheet in the church porch or email ninabieniek@hotmail.com. Please print clearly and add a contact phone number. Closing date for registering names is Sunday 30th October.
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
Maidenhead STREET ANGELS are back on the streets again on Friday and Saturday nights and are hoping to recruit more Angel volunteers. Please see the attached poster with details.
SQUIRRELS Our very active parish Scout Group is opening a new section, a Squirrels Drey, for 4 and 5 year olds, girls and boys, early next year. This will allow younger children to join in the adventure which is Scouting.
With this young age group we will, of course, be needing a number of new leaders and helpers, with the support of our current leaders.
If you enjoy working with this age group and would like to hear more about us or would like to add your child's name to our waiting list please contact Loz on lozzermarchant@yahoo.co.uk.
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS (RCIA) We are all on a journey of faith, which is unique and personal, and yet a journey that we know is greatly enriched when we are able to come together and share with others.
Maybe you are a non-Catholic Christian accompanying your family to Church and now feel drawn to become part of this community of faith. Maybe your “roots” are in another religion, or in none. Maybe you are a Baptised Catholic but never received, as a young person, the Sacrament of Confirmation.
This programme is widely used in many parishes throughout the Diocese. RCIA is both a learning and teaching programme that aims to help those who would like to know more about the Christian faith from a catholic perspective and might be thinking about becoming a Catholic.
To be a full member of the Catholic Church you need to complete the process of Christian Initiation, which is when you have been Baptised, Confirmed and have made your First Holy Communion. The RCIA Programme will begin with the completion of the ten-step programme of the Alpha course run at Windsor.
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
TODDLERS GROUP Every Termtime Friday 8:45-10:45 in the Parish Centre.
YOGA CLASSES Tuesday at 11.45am. Classes are free but if possible, a donation for charity will be appreciated. Yoga mats, mat cleaning spray and wipes will be available. Contact Rachel at wellhappyyoga@gmail.com or the parish office.
CLIMATE CHANGE This planned course, has been postponed. A new date will be advertised as soon as it’s available. Thank you to Eric and Sarah who put so much work into the planning of the course.
We have 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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