It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss —
This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction —
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.
It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever —
This is true: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councillor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.
It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world —
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.
It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers —
This is true: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall have dreams.
It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history —
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and in truth.
So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ — the life of the world.
Written by Allan Aubrey Boesak (born 23 February 1946) who is a South African Dutch Reformed Church cleric and politician and anti-apartheid activist.
Readings:
1st: Isaiah 11:1-10. The living branch from Jesse’s stump is our hope of peace and salvation.
Responsorial: Psalm 71: 1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17.
Response: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
2nd : Romans 15:4-9. How to live in harmony and share in the promises to the patriarchs of old.
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12. How John the Baptist prepared his people for a new era of grace.
MASS INTENTIONS Saturday 3rd December 6.15pm Maura O’Connor RIP AN, Jim O’Connor RIP AN, Jack Walters RIP AN
Saturday 3rd December 6.15pm For the Goan community with our parish.
Thursday 8th December 9.30am Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Friday 9th December 10.00am John and Gwen Delaney RIP AN
BAPTISMS Saturday 3rd December Cillian and Dillion, sons of Conor and Angela Boyle.
Sunday 4th December Edward, son of Michael and Charlotte Opalko.
Saturday 10th December William, son of Maria Donnelly and Htin Oo.
ADVENT PENITENTIAL SERVICES Advent (the beginning of a new liturgical year in the church) is the perfect time to receive God’s mercy and forgiveness through this healing sacrament, offering us the opportunity for a clean slate prior to celebrating the joy of Christmas. Join us for one of four penance services, during this holy Season, where we will participate in a communal penance service. Following the service, volunteers will direct you to the priests located around the church to hear confessions and receive the sacrament of Reconciliation.
God wants to extend His love to you – all you need to do is accept the call. Whether it’s been days, weeks, months, or years, you’re invited to join us! During the month of December:
7th. @7pm. St. Thomas More, Twyford. (Wednesday).
10th. @10am. St. Edward’s, Windsor. (Saturday).
14th. @7pm. St. Joseph’s. Maidenhead. (Wednesday).
17th. @10am. St. Edmund Campion, M’head. (Saturday).
MASSES FROM DECEMBER Due to an increase in heating costs etc, it has been decided that morning Mass will be celebrated in the Parish Centre, beginning Monday 5th December until Springtime at 9.30am. This will be Monday to Thursday.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Mass will be celebrated in the Church.
Funerals, Baptisms, and other special occasions and major Feast Days will also be celebrated in the Church.
Further, the livestreaming of Mass will move from Wednesday mornings to Friday, beginning 9th December.
The parish Centre is a warmer location and people are very welcome to stay on afterwards for a cuppa and chat.
WARM HUB We will be opening the Parish Centre as a Warm Hub on Mondays from the beginning of December. We really need a volunteer to take charge of a welcoming rota for each Monday, if we don’t have a volunteer it will not be possible to offer the initiative. The Hall will be heated and we’d like to offer refreshments. The volunteer would coordinate volunteers to be present and provide some hospitality to anyone who chooses to use the Hall in this time. Please contact Sarah in the Parish Office if this is something you would consider doing for our Parish. Thank you.
ADVENT AND CHISTMAS TALKS AT ST EDMUND CAMPION How are we going to prepare for the 4 weeks of Advent and the Nativity? Come and listen to the following talk after the Monday morning Mass:
CHRISTMAS TALK Monday 19th December at 10 am Dr. Judith Thomas
All welcome. Note the date in your diary and gather together as we prepare to enter the new liturgical year in which the readings are taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew
RED MISSIO BOXES Thank you to all who have brought in a Red Box to be emptied. Please can you remember to pick up your empty one from the porch. They are on top of the cabinet on the right as you enter.
PARISH CONSULTATION on Draft-Ten Year Mission Plan for our Diocese. Thank you to the groups who turned up for Sessions One and Two. In all, there are three sessions. The final session will be Monday 5th December at 7pm.
FIRST FRIDAY HEALING MASS The Healing Masses for the first Friday of December (2nd Dec) will be held at St. Edmund Campion church at 10am and at 7pm. Friday 3rd February in St Josephs Church. Please note there is no Healing Mass on the 6th January as this is a day of Solemnity for the Epiphany of the Lord.
WHAT IS A HEALING MASS? Healing Masses are opportunities to directly seek physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing. These Masses include a homily that is focused on healing, prayers of the faithful that are directly asking God to heal us, and prayers after communion that are prayed by the Priest to help facilitate greater healing in our lives.
The Mass is the most powerful way that we can seek healing as Christians. Jesus is present in the Mass through the Scriptures, through giving Himself to us in His Body and His Blood, and through our worship of Him. He is the one who heals us. The Mass helps to facilitate the healing that Jesus wants to give to all of us.
CHRISTMAS STARS Once again we will be doing our Christmas Stars. The stars will be ready in the porch, or you can make your own. For those unfamiliar with this, the idea is that, instead of sending Christmas cards to all your friends in the parish, you just write a message on a star or a Christmas card and decorate it if you wish. It will then be displayed in the Church for all to see. Hopefully we can have another wonderful display. Think of the money you have saved on cards and stamps, and time and effort writing and delivering them, and give a donation to charity. There will be a box for your donation in the porch , or you can give it to Barbara McWalter at 11.15 Mass or to Sarah in the office. The charity this year will again be Fr Liam’s charity W.O.R.K. (Widows and Orphans of Rural Kenya http://www.work-kenya.org ) . Last year we raised over £700! Thank you in advance for your usual generosity for this very worthy cause.
ST. ANDREW’S FEAST DAY: November 30th the Church celebrates the feast of St. Andrew, patron of Scotland. St Andrew has been celebrated in Scotland for over a thousand years, with feasts being held in his honour as far back as the year 1000 AD. However, it wasn’t until 1320, when Scotland’s independence was declared with the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath, that he officially became Scotland’s patron saint. On this day we ask God’s blessing upon our Andrews/Andreas etc and our parishioners with a Scottish connection!
ST. EDMUND CAMPION FEAST DAY: December 1st sees the 52nd year that Edmund Campion was pronounced a Saint in the Catholic Church and the 441st year since his execution at Tyburn (Marble Arch). He is the patron of our church and Mass will be celebrated at 9.30am and 2pm on Thursday 1st December. Our entire school will be in attendance at 2pm to celebrate this wonderful day.
FLAME 2023 Join us on Saturday 4 March 2023 at OVO Arena, Wembley for the largest Catholic gathering of young people in England and Wales, Flame Congress. This is an amazing opportunity for youth in our pastoral area to attend, what has proven over the years to be an awesome and inspiring experience. If you or someone you know is in Year 9 or above, at College, or University , or a young adult in our Diocese, and you think they would really benefit from this great event, then why not tell them? Tickets to attend Flame 23 are now on sale at the early bird price of £24 and should be purchased through the Diocese either through your parish or by contacting youth@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk without delay as it is expected the tickets will be snapped up very quickly. For further information, look up the following website: FLAME – CYMFed
RUBY JUBILEE The original tickets purchased can be used for entry on the night. If you need additional tickets there are some available. If you have a ticket but are not able to join us on 21st then please contact us for a refund on office@stedmundcampion.org.uk. Refunds can be processed from 28th November. If you have mislaid your tickets please contact us as soon as possible on norisdukes@googlemail.com. If anyone has photos of any church events from 1980-1990 please may we borrow them to copy to make a slide show. Please contact Reena on stecmassrep@gmail.com to make this arrangement. The event is smart casual, food and a disco will be provided. Please bring your own drinks.
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
HOME LEAVE Fr. Ephraim is taking time to see his family over the coming weeks. He will be away from the parish from Monday 5th December to Thursday 12th January 2023. We wish him a good rest. Please contact Fr. Noah or Fr. Liam for any pastoral reasons that you may have. Their email addresses and phone numbers are found on page 4 of this bulletin.
RUBY JUBILEE The original tickets purchased can be used for entry on the night. If you need additional tickets there are some available. If you have a ticket but are not able to join us on 21st then please contact us for a refund on office@stedmundcampion.org.uk. Refunds can be processed from 28th November. If you have mislaid your tickets please contact us as soon as possible on norisdukes@googlemail.com. If anyone has photos of any church events from 1980-1990 please may we borrow them to copy to make a slide show. Please contact Reena on stecmassrep@gmail.com to make this arrangement. The event is smart casual, food and a disco will be provided. Please bring your own drinks.
FOODSHARE Are you an NHS, Emergency services or a Blue Light worker. Foodshare is now operating a shop, so if you're struggling to make ends meet, for a cost of £10 per visit you can "buy" a trolley of food. Call 01628 262711 for fast and fuss free support.
YOGA CLASSES Tuesday at 11.45am. Classes are free but if possible, a donation for charity will be appreciated. Come to all the classes, come to some, try a class...you’ll be welcome!. Yoga mats will be available. Bring your own if you have one. Mat cleaning spray and wipes will be available. Contact Rachel at wellhappyyoga@gmail.com or the parish office.
SVP 'Thank you to everyone who has helped with the needs of the Asylum Seekers in Maidenhead so far and thank you for helping with the Christmas tree project. There is still a big demand at the hotel for certain things so the SVP would like to ask if anyone has any old children's bikes or any old phones or laptops (with their chargers) could they please consider donating it via the parish office to the SVP. We can clear all personal data from the phones and laptops before passing on. There is also a big demand especially in newly opened hotels in Oxford for men's warm clothing, coats and trainers.
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EVENING The school is holding one of its main fundraiser events on Saturday Dec 3rd from 19.00 until 21:30. Please join in the shopping evening where you can buy big or small gifts from small business and support them as well as the school. Home decor, cocktails, cookies, candles or handbags to name a few. Entry is £2 per person. If you cannot join but still want to support please consider popping over to purchase some raffle tickets - all proceeds to the school. Many thanks for your support.
TODDLERS GROUP Every Termtime Friday 8.45-10.45 in the Parish Centre.
KNOCK SHRINE PILGRIMAGE Escorted Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine, Ireland, 15th March 2023. £699.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full board. All entertainment and excursions included. Day trips to Westport, Ballintubber Abbey, Croagh Patrick, Fr. Peyton Centre & National Museum. Special St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations. Single supplement £150.00. Contact Patricia on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
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. .
SIF forms to support School Applications can be signed by Fr Liam on December 1st & 15th from 8.30-9.30 and from 2.15-3.30. Please remember to bring your Mass attendance cards to support the form.
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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