Cana: New wine for life – Wedding Feast at Cana
The human side of the gospel today is the huge need of a young couple on the best day of their lives. Jesus hears of their need and the result is the wine for the wedding, but more so, it is the promise of the fullness of God. We look for the fullness of life in money, food, sex, travel, security, reputation, but the thing is, none last. Only the simplest joys of life really satisfy in the end, like the joy of love, the thrill of friendship, the caring in family and the ways we enjoy the goodness of creation. A person asked once in the hospice at the end of their life -'what is happiness?' 'Find happiness now' was his answer -'be satisfied, be grateful, for what you have, for what you have received, for what God has given you.' There is a fullness of life in being happy with who I am, what I have, and asking God for what God knows I need. No matter what our age, we can do good for others, we can share the graces of life and the soul can grow. That's what I hope can happen for me as life goes on. In any group of people, some look happy and some look miserable. The happiest are not always the ones who had or are having the easiest life. They are the ones who have found peace with themselves, others and God. We are called to turn the waters of everyday life into wine. We are called to transform society and, like good wine, bring joy, peace and celebration into the lives of many. We are called to transform water into wine…sadly, sometimes, we meet people who have the capacity to change wine into water! They lack joy, good news, hope or celebration. Our faith calls us to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary…..
Because of the gift of the fullness of God in 'new wine', we always have a home, here and after - in the heart of our God in Jesus Christ now and for eternity.
| First Reading | Isaiah 62:1-5 | God has prepared joyful feast for his people. | |||
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 95 | Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples. | |||
| Second Reading | 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 | The many gifts that come from God’s Spirit are meant for the good of all. | |||
| Gospel | John 2:1-11 | Mary’s intervention at the marriage at Cana evokes Christ’s first miracle. |
| Friday 18th January | 6:15pm | Margaret Dixon | RIP | |||||
| Sunday 19th | 9:30am | Irene Shearer | RIP AN | |||||
| Sunday 19th | 11:15am | John Gillooly | RIP | |||||
| Wednesday 22nd | 9:30am | Imelda McConnell | RIP AN | |||||
| Saturday 25th | 6:15pm | Margaret O'Donnell | RIP | |||||
| Sunday 26th | 11:15am | Jerry & Mary O'Connell | RIP AN |
| Saturday 18th January | 11am | Stanislaw (Stan) Kurpiel | RIP. Funeral at Polish Church, Slough. |
HOUSE BLESSING: House blessings (also known as house healings, house clearings, house cleansings and space clearing) are rites intended to protect the inhabitants of a house or apartment. It is also there asking God’s protection and blessing upon each member of the family. In Christianity, house blessing is an ancient tradition dating back to the early days, that is usually performed by a priest who sprinkles holy water and blessed salt as he walks through every room of the house, accompanied by the occupants of the house, whilst praying for the occupants. If you would like your home/apartment/room blessed, then please contact one of the priests and a time and date can be arranged. The blessing ritual takes about 20 minutes, and it is lovely if all occupants of the home are present.
ARE YOU NEW TO OUR PARISH? Thank you for your interest in our parish. Whether you're just visiting us for a brief time, looking for a new parish home, returning to the practice of your Catholic faith or are interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church, we are happy to answer your questions, listen to your comments and help you in any way that we can. We are a parish of the Diocese of Portsmouth, and are a very vibrant community, made up of ‘old’ Maidenhead families and relative “newcomers” from all walks of life. We hope that you find our Catholic parish a caring community that is loving, welcoming and supportive of all. Our mission is to grow in the image of Christ through the Holy Spirit, to be formed by the Word and our prayer, to use our gifts to welcome those who are here and reach out to those who are not. We invite you to join us as partners in the mission. Together, let us get to know Christ better and to make Him better known. May God Bless you wherever you are and thank you for exploring our website and newsletter. Please stop by the parish office to introduce yourself! We would love to meet you.
FIRST FRIDAY: The First Friday of the month is 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 indeed, you or someone you know would like a visit from a priest, then please contact Fr. Liam, Fr. Ephraim or Fr. Tom.
FIRST FRIDAY HEALING MASS These special Masses will take place on:
Friday 7th February 10am at St. Joseph’s; 7pm at St. Edmund Campion Church; 10am St Thomas More, Twyford
Friday 7th March 10am at St. Joseph’s; 7pm at St. Edmund Campion Church; 10am St Thomas More, Twyford
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.
BAPTISMAL COURSE The Baptismal Course is available for all Parents whose child is being Baptised at either St Joseph’s, St Elizabeth’s or St Edmund Campion. The course is a 90 minute preparation and guidance. It is held at St Joseph’s the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm. The next meetings are:
DIOCESAN NEWSLETTER: The Diocesan Mailing is produced every week and contains news, training opportunities and events from around the diocese and wider Catholic Church. The weekly newsletter is designed to bring you the latest information and events, straight to your email inbox. We try to keep it short and sweet (though, occasionally we can't help but get carried away with a great story or a brilliant opportunity). Click or go to the following site to sign up: www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk
House Masses/Blessings: Father Liam is more than happy to celebrate a House Mass or a House Blessing for any family or group of families who would like it. If you are interested, then please email Father Liam or telephone the Parish Office.
Contact: If you wish to speak to Father Liam in confidence on any matter, please contact him for an appointment. He is always happy to visit your home if so desired. Email: lcummins@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk Telephone: 07776580596
Hospital: If you are going into hospital or know or someone that is, please inform the hospital chaplain on arrival. Please also let Father Liam know so that arrangements can be made for a visit. Please note that under the Data Protection Act, hospital staff cannot disclose patient information. We rely on Parishioners to keep us in the loop.
Housebound: If you know of anyone who is sick and/or housebound please let Ruth (Parish Office) or Father Liam know so that a visit can be arranged.
TRANSPORT TO MASS We are aware that some parishioners are having difficulty in finding transport for weekend Mass. If those parishioners could identify which Masses they would prefer to attend, then an effort will be made to organise a lift. Likewise, if you can offer a lift to fellow parishioners, who live locally to you, then we can match the needs on a register that will be held in the Parish Office. Any queries, please contact John Lynn 07931 292934
MASS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS will be in the Parish Centre on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday mornings. Friday morning and weekend Masses will be in the church.
CHRISTIAN UNITY WEEK: 18th-25th January 2025 Do you believe this? This year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, takes place from 18 - 25 January 2025 - the octave of St. Paul’s Conversion. The theme for the resources in 2025 is ‘Do you believe this?’ For 2025, were prepared by the ecumenical community at Bose in Northern Italy. As we celebrate 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, the worship service has at its heart the Nicene Creed. Reflecting this, the scripture readings for this year focus on belief. We are invited to reflect on the story of Martha’s confession of faith in Jesus as narrated in John 11:17-27. Each is called to sit with Jesus’ provocative question to Martha: “Do you believe this?” You can download a pdf of the resources from Churches together in Britain and Ireland or order printed materials from Church House Publishing. Resources for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025
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: CDP MAIDENHEAD ST EDMUND CAMPION
Sort code: 30-93-04
Account number: 00882551
THANK YOU FROM FR TOM FOR BIRTHDAY WISHES Dear Parishioners, I would like to thank everyone who made last Sunday such a very wonderful occasion, especially the special Mass for me. I would also like to say a heartfelt thank you to Fr Ephraim & Fr Liam for all the organisation and getting everyone together. I really enjoyed meeting so many of you and seeing all the happy faces! Fr Tom
VISION GROUP Dry January: Many of us give up drinking for the month of January after the excesses of Christmas and the New Year. Following last year’s successful raffle, we are collecting any bottles that have not been drunk, together with unwanted Christmas gifts including Chocolates, to be raffled off or auctioned. All money raised will go towards renovations in the church. Please drop off in the large box outside the Parish office or in the Church porch. Collecting will be done by the Parish Vison Group.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION: Children eligible to start Stage Two of the First Holy Communion Programme begin on Saturday 25th January, at 4.30pm at St. Edmund Campion School. We continue to pray for them.
FOUNDATION GOVERNOR VACANCY ST EDMUND CAMPION PRIMARY SCHOOL Please see noticeboard for more information or contact Julia Evans (Chair of Governors) via the school office at school@st-edmund.org.uk or 01628 620183.
FIRE MARSHAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: We are looking for 9 people minimum to be trained as Fire Marshalls for the Parish, 3 for each weekend Mass. Ideally we would have a rota so holidays etc are covered. There will be fire extinguisher/marshal training 25th March 10:45am in St Joseph’s Church car park. Please email the office/let Ruth know if you can volunteer for this role. Refreshments provided. If you would like lunch, please reserve with the office via email office@stedmundcampion.org.uk
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED SUNDAY 11:15am MASS PREPARATION Please contact Andy: andy.shearer@btopenworld.com or phone 07730630876 for more information or if you would like to join the rota. Full training will be given.
SVP MAIDENHEAD are in need of adult and children bicycles for the asylum seekers. If you upgraded any bikes over Christmas, please consider donating your old bike to us. For more information, please contact the Parish Office. We are still collecting clothes, toys and toiletries. Please check the SVP noticeboard for meeting dates and other updates.
THANK YOU to Kelley, Marian & team, the liturgy group, Kathryn & Moira & the other volunteers who decorated the church and parish centre for Christmas. It looked beautiful. It takes a lot of time and effort to put the decorations up and take them down again, and without the help of volunteers from our community, we would not be able to do it all. We look forward to the next piece of window art from Kelley in Spring.
YOGA CLASSES Tuesday 11am – 11:45am The next Yoga class will be Tuesday 21st January 11am. Everyone is welcome. No charge for the class, just a small donation to charity if able. For more information contact Rachel: wellhappyyoga@gmail.com or the parish office.
PREPARING TOGETHER MARRIAGE COURSE 8th FEBRUARY 2025 Corpus Christi Church, Wokingham, RG40 2HE www.marriagecare.org.uk
SATURDAY 25th JANUARY 7pm BURNS NIGHT SUPPER AT ST JOSEPHS £25 for a 3-course meal. See posters for ticket info.
LENTEN PROJECT CONCERT SATURDAY 22nd MARCH 7:30pm in the school hall, performed by musicians from the 9.30 music group. Please put the date in your diary, more details shortly.
SCHOOLS PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION For Catholic students aged 16 -18.If you are interested in competing in the Schools Public Speaking Competition organised by the Catenians, due to take place in Langley on 24th February, please contact Jonathan Holder: manorcott@outlook.com by 31st January for further details. Parental permission required.
TODDLER GROUP Every Friday in termtime, 8:45am-10:45am in the Parish Centre.
GIFT AID: If you have a standing order or direct debit donation to the Parish and gift aid your donation, please complete a new Gift Aid form. These will need to be completed for all existing Gift Aid Declarations. New Direct Debit and Gift Aid forms are available in the church porch and in the drawers outside the Parish Office. Please return all completed forms to the Parish Office. Thank you to everyone who has completed a form over the last few months.
DONA CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS are now available in the church porch. You can Gift Aid your donation to the church and Second Collections. You only need to put your details in once and all future donations using the same card will be Gift Aided. Donations, Repository, Candles, Mass Intentions can all be paid for using the machine– just select the option on the screen.
WELCOME A very warm welcome to all parishioners and visitors who join us, whether in our Churches of St. Joseph’s, St. Elizabeth’s, St. Edmund Campion or via the live-stream. If you are new to the area, please register as a member of our Parishes. The parish offices are situated at St. Joseph’s Church, Cookham Road and St. Edmund Campion, Altwood Road. Carolyn or Ruth can send you a soft copy of the registration form if you so wish, or pick up a hard copy at the church. The parish office details are available on the website and in the church porch.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY LITURGY 9:30am Mass Children from the age of 4 can attend. Please put your child’s name on the register as you go into the church.
CONFIRMATION (2024) CERTIFICATES are ready for collection from the Parish Office.
GOSPEL POWER 2025 is available to purchase - £6 in the Repository box, to the Parish office or via the contactless machine.
CAFOD School Volunteers needed Do you enjoy working with children and young people? Could you help to inspire and empower children and young people in your local Catholic schools by delivering an assembly or a workshop? Supported by CAFOD with training and all resources provided please consider the role of CAFOD school volunteer. For more information contact Jo Lewry jlewry@cafod.org.uk or phone 07710 094447
MARRIAGE CARE: Volunteers needed! Marriage Care is looking to recruit volunteers to help present their Marriage Preparation courses in the local area (a couple of Saturdays in the year). Full training and support are given. To find out more, visit www.marriagecare.org.uk or contact Sue Cooper on 07939495774 or sue.cooper@marriagecare.org
VOLUNTEERS: From Sunday 8th December 2024, subscribers to the Update Service will be emailed 30 days before their renewal date to ask if they wish to stay subscribed. Renewal dates are based on original joining dates. DBS advises volunteers to check that the email address attached to their subscription is linked to the individual who is subscribed. The renewal email will ask volunteers to access their Update Service Account and confirm that they wish to continue with the service. For those who confirm, this request will be repeated annually. If no confirmation is made, their volunteer subscription will automatically be cancelled. Volunteers who do not renew their subscription will not be able to keep their DBS certificate(s) up to date and organisations will not be able to check them. They will need to reapply for a DBS if they need one in the future. If you are a volunteer that is subscribed to the update service, please check that the correct email address is linked to the subscription service.
REPOSITORY Please see our repository for cards & Mass cards for all occasions. Cash payments in the box on the wall or via the Dona contactless machine (minimum £1 payments).
RED BOXES It’s time to empty your red boxes. Please bring yours to the church and give to Lousie Jennings or Barbara McWalter at 11:15am Mass or hand them into the Parish Office. There are a number of boxes for collection in the church porch. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
PARISH COMMUNICATION We have reduced our newsletter to one two-sided A4 sheet. In order to make sure you are receiving up to date communications, please consider signing up to receive information by email. Parishioner registration forms are available in the church porch and in the drawers outside the Parish Office – please complete one and return it to the Parish office.
SCHOOL PLAYGROUND The Reception area playground is not for use at the weekends. Please make sure that children are not entering this area before or after weekend Masses. The staff prepare the area on Friday afternoon so that it is ready for learning on Monday morning. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
FOOD IN THE CHURCH The church is cleaned every Friday afternoon. Recently there appears to be a lot of food debris on the Church floor after weekend Masses. If you or your child needs to eat during Mass, can we request that you please use the Parish Centre. Thank you for your cooperation.
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.
VACANCIES - For job vacancies in the Diocese please see Diocese website https://www.portsmouthdiocese.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, Fr Ephraim, Fr Tom or Fr Noah 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 Ruth (Parish Office), Fr Liam or Fr Ephraim know so that a visit can be arranged.
FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES, FOR THE COMING MONTHS
Father Ephraim and Fr Noah are the ‘link people’ for pastoral matters concerning the parish of St. Joseph’s and St. Elizabeth’s. They are also chaplains 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, Fr. Noah 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.
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 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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