NEWSLETTER FOR ST JOSEPH’S & THE ENGLISH MARTYRS
Parish Clergy:
Canon Michael Dennehy
([email protected])
Fr. Richard Maniak
Hospital Chaplain
Registered Charity Number: 246871
64 Liebenrood Road
Reading, Berkshire, RG30 2EB
Tel: 0118 957 2149 email:
[email protected]
website: www.englishmartyrsrdg.org.uk
Secretary: Gwen Price
RBH Chaplain: Fr Richard Maniak
RBH: 0118 3227105
(H) 0118 9586637
Email: [email protected]
Youth Group Co-Ordinator
Charlie McArthur
Tel: 07890 573169
Email: [email protected]
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME – YR C
The Presbytery, Berkshire Drive
Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 5JJ
Tel: 0118 942 8632
e-mail:
[email protected]
website: www.st-josephs-tilehurst.org.uk
Secretary: Sheila Jones
23RD/24TH JULY, 2016.
A WEEKLY PRAYER CUSTOM - ENCOUNTERING CHRIST
(Prayerfully preparing for the Sunday Mass and praying in particular for our parishioners).
1.
RELAX & REMEMBER
Set aside 10-15 minutes and create a suitable environment by removing any distractions. Make sure that you
are comfortable. Perhaps light a candle. Make the sign of the cross and remain still for a minute of settling
silence. Call to mind the love that God has for you. Remember that through this scripture our Lord is truly
present. Then read the Gospel, preferably aloud and slowly, and pay attention to any words that stand out.
If any do, meditate on them for a few minutes and be invited into a dialogue with God.
2.
READ
Taken from the Gospel for 24th July, 2016 (Luke 11:1-13): The Lord’s Prayer
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us
to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, “Say this when you pray: Father, may your name be
held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves
forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.” He also said to them, “Suppose one of
you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, ‘My friend, lend me three loaves because a
friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;’ and the man answers
from inside the house, ‘Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot
get up to give it to you.’ I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence
will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.” So I say to you: “Ask, and it will be given to
you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always
receives; the one who searches always finds, the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him
What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of
a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your
children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
3.
REFLECT
Spend a few minutes considering this Gospel. Luke is the evangelist of prayer. Again and again he shows us
Jesus praying. At all the important moments of his life Jesus needs this intimacy with his Father. So he is
praying at the Baptism; before the choice of the disciples he prays through the night; at the Transfiguration he is
praying. What do Jesus’ words in the Gospel teach us about prayer? Have there been occasions when God
has answered your prayers in a way you did not expect?
4.
RESPOND & REQUEST
Now slowly and prayerfully read the Gospel once again but this time in silence. Consider how this Gospel
could apply to your life in general. Then thank God for any insight you may have received. Conclude by asking
God to bless you with one of the following spiritual gifts to help you act on any resolution you have made: love,
understanding, wisdom, faithfulness, peace, self-control, patience, or joy. Please remember to pray for the
Church and particularly our families. Then conclude by requesting the prayers of Our Lady & St Joseph.
www.wednesdayword.org
DIARY:
Church Cleaning: Group 3 – 29th July– Virginia and Alan White.
Counters: 31st July – Pat & Gina Prime, Richard Davis.
The next SVP meeting will be held on Monday at 8 pm in Room 1.
Collections: 17/7/16
£1,122.90
There will be a Special Collection for the ‘Day for Life’ next weekend.
A WARM WELCOME TO
Chimdalu Ozougwu and Charuze Schnapka who are being baptised this weekend.
.
LOURDES GROUP
If you wish your prayer intentions to be taken by the group and placed at the
Grotto in Lourdes, would you please leave them in the basket by Sunday evening.
Saturday, 6th August, at Our Lady of Peace & Bl. Dominic Barberi
Be transformed in the beauty of God: A Transfiguration Retreat
Take a step forwards in your relationship with God in this day of spiritual nourishment. The day runs
from 9 am to 3pm. Tea and coffee will be available, but please bring a packed lunch. Father Stan's
friend, Brother Marianus, will be with us for this special time of prayer and quiet. All are welcome.
CAN YOU HELP SOMEONE COMING OUT OF PRISON?
You are invited to come and see the opportunities for you to volunteer to help those leaving prison and
settling in the local area. The Catholic prison charity Pact (Prison Advice & Care Trust) is seeking
volunteer mentors to help ex-offenders re-settle after being in prison. Support and training is provided. To
find out more please come to St James Church on Thursday, 15th September, 10 am -12 noon. For more
information contact Emma: Emma.O'[email protected] or call 07712306940.
DRAMA PRODUCTION AT ST JAMES’ CHURCH
The new play based on the life of King Henry I of England will be performed inside
St James’ Church from 2nd –19th November.
For information and tickets please visit www.readingbetweenthelines.co.uk.
Divine Mercy Holy Hour
Next Meeting 4th September 2.30 pm - St Anne's in Caversham.
All are most welcome.
Tea Dance in the Hall on Sunday, 31st July, from 2 – 4.30 pm. Music by Billy Whitley
Tea, sandwiches and cakes. Admission £2.50. An opportunity to meet with friends and
catch up with all the news. You don't have to dance, just come along and enjoy the
company. For more information contact Anne on 07888997293.
HOLY LAND, 8 day pilgrimage from Reading, 19th–26th April, 2017. Follow The Footsteps of
Jesus, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Masada, Dead Sea, Lake of Galilee, etc. Led by Fr John
O' Shea. Cost £1100 (tbc). 50 places. Apply to St James Church Reading on tel: 9574171 or
email [email protected]. If interested, apply now.
ENGLISH MARTYRS
Deceased McCormack &
Martland Family members RIP
Deceased Banks Family
members & Ebenezer Quartey
RIP
People of the Parish
Chris Foley RIP
Fr James McAuley’s Intentions
MASS INTENTIONS – 23rd – 30th JULY, 2016.
DAYS
ST JOSEPH’S
Saturday 23rd July –
6.30 pm
St Bridget of Sweden
8.30 am Harry McSoley’s
Sunday 24th
9.30 am
Intentions
11.30 am
5.00 pm
9.30 am
NO MASS
10.30 am
Monday 25th – St
James
Tuesday 26th
N0 MASS
NO MASS
9.30 am
Maureen Anderson’s Intentions
Teresa Quinn’s Intentions
9.30 am
8.00 pm
Wednesday 27th
Thursday 28th
Chris Foley RIP
9.30 am
Friday 29th
9.00 am
7.00 pm
10.00 am
Saturday 30th
EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
Pat Barnett RIP
Deceased members of
the Marron family RIP
Deceased members of
the Lehany family RIP
Rita Daly RIP
Robert Murphy RIP
Holy Hour: Thursday – 7-8 pm
Saturday: 8.50 – 9.50 am
Saturday - 11am -12 noon.
CONFESSIONS - SATURDAY
Confessions Before Mass 5.30–6.15
After Mass at 10.30 am
Responsorial Psalm: “On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord.″
NOTICE TO BOX HOLDERS OF WEEKLY DONATION ENVELOPES
WOULD YOU PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE IF YOU HOLD PINK BOXES 25, 116, 146 AND 149.
!!FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2017 WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, 20TH MAY.
INFORMATION PACKS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER!!
All youth are welcome to be part of the English Martyrs Youth Choir. Rehearsals are held every Thursday
from 4-5pm. Please pick up a flyer at the back of the church. Our next Youth Mass is on 31st July at
11.30am. Contact Charlie if you wish to be part of any ministry at the Mass.
St. Joseph's Youth Group
If your child is in year 4, 5 or 6, they are welcome to attend our Youth Group once a month
at St. Joseph's Church for fun and games. Children from English Martyrs are most
welcome to join in. Spaces are limited and booking essential. Please call Rebecca for
details on 07834766944 between 9 am-6 pm weekdays only.
Flame 2017
Flame 2017 will be held on Saturday, 11th March, 2017. Tickets will go on sale later this month. I would like to
encourage the young people of our diocese to travel together to Wembley Arena to join with around 8,000 other
young Catholics for an encounter with the Lord and an epic celebration of our faith. Last year over 200 young people
and leaders from our diocese made their way to Wembley. We hope Flame 2017 will be even bigger! If you are
interested in going, please contact the office.
English Martyrs Confirmation Programme 2016/17 will start with a retreat on Sunday, 18th
September, 12 noon - 4.30 pm in St Joseph’s Church Hall. This will be a joint retreat with
St Joseph’s and run by the RISE Theatre Company. There will be activities around general faith,
concluding with a Mass at 3.30 pm to which families are invited. Please bring a packed lunch. The full
Confirmation Programme will be communicated when the Diocese has set the Confirmation date.
Contact: Chris Burton by text 07768486465 or email [email protected]
EVERY SUNDAY AFTER THE 9.30 AM MASS, TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO STAY
AND MEET OTHER PARISHIONERS AND MAKE FRIENDS.
THERE IS ALSO A BOOK REPOSITORY IN ROOM 2 ALONG THE COLONNADE
HEADING TOWARDS THE HALL. AGAIN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO BROWSE.
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP IN THE BOOKSTALL AFTER ALL MASSES ARE NEEDED
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PLEASE CONTACT ANN DAVIS OR GWEN IN THE
OFFICE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fr Bruce Barnes, West Berkshire PA Co-ordinator, has decided to move the Sunday Mass at
St Bernadette's, Pangbourne, to 9.30 am commencing 4th September.
GOING INTO HOSPITAL?
On admission to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, all Catholics must inform the hospital staff that they
are Roman Catholic, and if they wish to have Holy Communion or see Fr Richard they must now
request this themselves, otherwise they may not be visited. From now on, all arrangements in
RBH must be patient-led. Information leaflets offering further guidance are available from the RBH.
Called and Gifted Teaching and Retreat Weekend 1st– 2nd October
There will be a special weekend at the Cold Ash Retreat Centre, near Newbury, for those who have
not yet had the chance to attend the Called and Gifted. The time will be a mixture of the teaching,
discussion, praying, reflections, opportunity for Confession, Adoration. Starts at 11 am on the 1st and
finishes at 3.30pm on the 2nd. There is a cost of £70 to cover the accommodation and meal costs.
Limited places so please book promptly by contacting [email protected]
Bishop Philip asks us to pray for...


Those newly ordained and for Vocations to the Priesthood, Diaconate and Religious Life.
All priests within the Diocese preparing to move to new parishes at this time.

Sick clergy and lay faithful of the Diocese.

The recently departed.

All affected by warfare, violence and persecution.

All going on Pilgrimage to World Youth Day and to Lourdes.
For more information on the Portsmouth Diocese E-News, please go to
http://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/events/
Pilgrimage to Fatima
Fr. Marcin Drabik is organising a Pilgrimage to Fatima from 15th - 22nd May, 2017, for 100th
Anniversary of the Apparitions at a cost of £725 per person. Please contact Fr. Marcin Drabik
for the Registration Form, either by e-mail [email protected] or telephone:
07479 503813. (The deadline for completing the registration form is 22nd October 2016.)
Keep up-to-date with what’s happening in our diocese via weekly diocesan E-news,
published each week. Sign up now! http://www.portsmouthdiocese.org.uk/enews/
LONDON TO WALSINGHAM MENS’ PILGRIMAGE WALK 1ST- 9TH OCTOBER
Applications are invited for the few remaining places on this traditional walking pilgrimage
for Catholic men. No special fitness level is necessary and full guidance will be given.
Contact: Peter Walters (Walk Administrator) Tel: 01799 550398. Email: [email protected].
Website: www.walsinghamwalkers.co.uk.