BULLETIN                                   21 JANUARY 2007

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR 3


CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 20 January

Confession on request from 4.30 to 5.15 pm
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm

Sunday 21 January
Sunday Mass at 10.00 am
Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon
Monday 22 January
Mass at 10.00 am for Ellen Echlin
Tuesday 23 January
Mass at 10.00 am for Rose Loughrey
Wednesday 24 January
Mass at 10.00 am for Cathy Robertson
Thursday 25 January
Mass at 10.00 am for Christian Unity
Friday 26 January
Mass at 10.00 am for Bernard and Susan Burns  
Saturday 27 January
Mass at 10.00 am for Ian Falsay


PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 21 January
10.00 am
10.00 am
11.00 am

Children's Liturgy
Sacramental Preparation
Tea and Coffee after Mass

Monday 22 January
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.00 am
10.00 to 4.00 pm
12.30 to 3.00 pm
2.00 to 3.00 pm
5.30 to 6.30 pm
6.30 to 8.00 pm
7.00
7.00 to 8.00 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Parents and Toddlers
Key Housing
Nursery

Cardiac Rehabilitation
Rainbows
Brownies
Saint Vincent de Paul Society
Weight Watchers

Tuesday 23 January

8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm
1.00 to 3.00 pm
7.30 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Thursday Club
Keep Fit

Wednesday 24 January

8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.00 pm
12.30 to 3.00 pm
1.00 to 2.30 pm
5.00 to 6.00 pm
6.00 to 7.00 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Nursery
Kindergarten
Street Dance for 13 to 18 year olds 
Burakudo Karate Club
Thursday 25 January
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.00 am
12.30 to 3.00 pm
1.00 to 2.30 pm
6.00 to 7.00 pm
6.00 to 7.30 pm
7.30 to 9.00 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Nursery
Kindergarten

Rainbows
Brownies
Girl Guides

Friday 26 January
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm
Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds  
Nursery
Parents and Toddlers
Kindergarten
Saturday 27 January
7.30 pmPark Church Gardening Club Burns Supper

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
   Barbara Taylor who died recently;
   Margaret Jane Brennan 1964, Annie Monan 1998, James McCormack 1999,
   Catherine Welsh 2005, Michael Lynn 2005, Bernard Burns 1963,
   Annie Carson 1995, Brookelyn Angel Donnachy 2006, John McKay Senior 1957,
   Patricia Murphy 1988, Ian Falsay 2004 and Annie Boyle O'Hare 1967
   whose anniversaries occur at this time;
   Ava Milligan who was baptised recently;
   and those who are sick.

SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £660.57 - many thanks.
Banker's Orders amount to an average of £4000 per month. Each month £4000 is repaid to the Diocese for the building loan and levy.

PARISH CENTRE COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection for the Parish Centre amounted to £355.97 - many thanks.


BANKER'S ORDERS
Paying your collection by monthly or quarterly banker's order makes money handling much safer. Banker's Order forms are available in the porch.

REFURBISHING THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
The final estimates are in from Lighthouse Glass for the Last Supper window in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The cost, includin joiner and electrical work is £6991. There is a little more needed if we choose to carpet the floor and pad the step for kneeling. We have raised £3475 from personal donations and fund-raising. We shall continue to raise funds and the work is due to start this month.


50-50 CLUB
The annual subscription to the 50-50 Club is now due. New members can sign up and existing members can renew their subscription in the foyer after all Masses next weekend.

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to parishioner George McGrattan on becoming a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to education in the new year honours list
.

PRESBYTERY DRIVEWAY
Can I please ask again that you do not block the driveway? Father Sharkey has to get to Mass in Dalry and he and I have to be available for calls to the hospital and we cannot get out while Mass is on. Thanks.

SAINT PETER'S CHILDREN'S CENTRE
A Fund Raising Race Night has been arranged by Saint Peter's Children's Centre for Friday 9 February at 7.30 pm with tickets at £5. Donations of bottles and raffle prizes would be much appreciated. Raffle tickets are available at the stall.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Masses on Sunday 21 January are offered for Christian Unity. The intention is an important one for your prayer during the week. On Thursday 25 January, there will me a Service for Unity in New Trinity Church, Saltcoats at 7.00 pm. Everyone is welcome. Mass here will be at 10.00 am.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK - 4 to 10 FEBRUARY
To celebrate Catholic Education Week, the annual Education Mass will be offered in Saint John's Church, Stevenston on Thursday 8 February, at 7.00 pm. Everyone - especially teachers, pupils, parents, school board members, school staff members - is welcome. Tea and coffee will be served after Mass.

DIOCESE OF GALLOWAY HOSPITALITÉ DE NOTRE DAME DE LOURDES
There will be Mass for World Day of Sick with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and the annual general meeting of the Hospitalité de Notre Dame de Lourdes in Saint Quivox's Church, Prestwick on Sunday 18 February at 3.00 pm. Tea and coffee will be served after Mass.

MUSIC MINISTRY EVENING
A Music Ministry event will be held on Wednesday 7 February at Smithstone House, Kilwinning from 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm start to 9.30 pm. The main part of the evening will consist of music ideas for Lent and Holy Week and will be led by Les Hendron of Bourtreehill. The first part will consist of a short talk and discussion on 'What is Lent?' led by Father Stephen Motroni. The cost, including refreshments, is £5 and will be collected on the evening. For further information contact Michael McCulloch.

CHRISTIAN AID
A light-hearted quiz with participants from all the local churches with question master Reverend Johnston McKay will take place on Thursday 15 February at 7.30 pm in Barony Saint John's Church Hall. Come along and support your team member. Tickets cost £2.00 and all proceeds will go to Christian Aid.

HCPT - THE PILGRIMAGE TRUST
To help raise money for your local HCPT, recycle your unwanted mobile phone. HCPT will receive from 50p to £50 for every phone depending on age and condition. Please remove your sim card and leave your phone in the box provided in the Church porch.



  How poor are those who have no patience?  

How things look on the outside of us
  depends on how things are on the inside of us.  

  May the roof over your head never fall in  
and your friends never fall out.  



READINGS
The readings for this weekend's Masses are shown below in English. They are available in eleven other languages
including French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish by clicking on this link.


First Reading           Nehemiah 8:2-6.8-10
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate, in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose. In full view of all the people - since he stood higher than all the people - Ezra opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised their hands and answered Amen! Amen!; then they bowed down and, face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that the people understood what was read. Then Nehemiah - His Excellency - and Ezra, priest and scribe (and the Levites who were instructing the people) said to all the people, This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep. For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of the Law. He then said, Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.

Second Reading           Corinthians 12:12-30
Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. If the foot were to say, "I am not a hand and so I do not belong to the body", would that mean that it stopped being part of the body? If the ear were to say, "I am not an eye, and so I do not belong to the body," would that mean that it was not a part of the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything? Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the body on purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you," nor can the head say to the feet, "I do not need you." What is more, it is precisely the parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts which are without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it. Now you together are Christ's body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers, good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?

Gospel           Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
Seeing that many others have undertaken to draw up accounts of the events that have taken place among us, exactly as these were handed down to us by those who from the outset were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, I in my turn, after carefully going over the whole story from the beginning, have decided to write an ordered account for you, Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how well founded the teaching is that you have received. Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him. He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written: The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord's year of favour. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, "This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.".