It is not John the Baptist was a man of passionate commitment to what he believed in. He strongly believed in the coming of the Christ. This man of faith was being tested in that Jesus was a different type of Christ or Messiah from what he expected. He often wondered who the Messiah would be.
John was a man with a lot of conviction and truth. He preached what he believed. He practised what he taught.
But he seemed to miss the point sometimes. He seemed to miss that Jesus would be found, not in preaching only but in helping others.
John preached repentance for sin; Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom.
The blind would see, and the lame would walk - these were to be signs of the coming of the 'One to come'.
Pope Francis says:
'There is no prayer in which Jesus does not inspire us to do something. Our faith in Jesus is seen in strong action. The poor are helped at our pre-Christmas collections. We might ask not what we might get for Christmas, but how our Christmas might help others. We might ask that Christmas will be happy for others because of us - happy in body, with enough food for every family, happy in mind that we know the truth of God's coming into the world, and happy in forgiveness, as that is one of God's biggest gifts.
Lord, let me believe that your life is good news and
share this good news in word and deed with all whom I meet.
READINGS
THEME Society finds it so hard to tolerate dissent that those who step out of line are often harshly treated. John the Baptist dared to castigate King Herod for his immoral example and paid for it with his life.
1st : Isaiah 35:1-6, 10. What God can do: he can open our eyes and turn the barren desert into a blossoming garden.
Responsorial: Psalm 145: 6-10. R./: Lord, come and save us.
2nd : James 5:7-10. James urges us to follow the noble example of courage shown by prophets.
Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11. From his prison cell, John is encouraged by the reports of Jesus’ cures.
MASS INTENTIONS
Sunday 11th December 9.30am Jean Nelson RIP, died recently
Maria Luisa Shippey RIP AN
11.15am Catherine McDonnell RIP, 1st Anniversary.
Eileen Moran RIP, who died recently.
FUNERALS 12th Monday 12th December The internment Fr. Kevin Jones ashes will take place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Sandhurst at 11am.
Wednesday 14th December Funeral Mass for Cosima Monello RIP followed by burial at Braywick Cemetery.
May their souls rest in peace.
BAPTISMS Saturday 10th December William, son of Maria Donnelly and Htin Oo.
Saturday 17th December Lucas & Leo, sons of Nino and Sam Spiteri.
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:
Saturday 10th December 10am. St. Edward’s, Windsor.
Wednesday 14th December 7pm St. Joseph’s, Maidenhead.
Saturday 17th December 10am St. Edmund Campion, Maidenhead.
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
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CLASSES As you are aware, the First Holy Communion journey is in three stages. Stage One, was simply coming to Mass for the last number of months and participating in the prayers and singing, and being comfortable with the journey of liturgy. At the end of each Mass, the candidate for First Holy Communion received a stamp to show their attendance. This will continue. However, the family/child will need to show their attendance by showing the priest or catechist their Mass Attendance Card. If there is consistency, then the child will be invited into Stage Two of the programme, which are the classes. If not, and there seems no interest in Mass attendance, then the child and family will be asked to postpone the reception of the Sacrament for another year.
STAGE 2 Class one at St. Edmund Campion School. 4.45pm January 7th, followed by Mass and official enrolment for First Holy Communion.
Class one at St. Joseph’s Church. 9.30am January 8th, followed by Mass and official enrolment for First Holy Communion.
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. Last Class for 2022 will be on Tuesday 13th December Classes are free but if possible, a donation for charity will be appreciated. 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.
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 15th from 8.30-9.30 and from 2.15-3.30. Please remember to bring your Mass attendance cards to support the form.
CLIMATE CHANGE The problems that we face in the world can at times seem insurmountable; droughts, floods, food shortages and the energy crisis dominate the news each day. But we hope you will agree with Pope Francis when he says “Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. … Truly, much can be done!” If there is enough interest registered, Eric Brutnall will facilitatie group discussion sessions that will equip you with greater awareness of the climate impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions on an individual and community basis. Each week will cover a different topic and you will be able to attend as many sessions as you want. If you attend all seven sessions then you will be eligible to apply for Carbon Literacy Accreditation (https://carbonliteracy.com/). To find out more and register your interest please contact Eric on eric.brutnall@st-edmund.org.uk
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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