BULLETIN 9
DECEMBER 2007
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT IN YEAR 1
CHURCH
SERVICES
|
Saturday
8 December | Confession
on request from 4.30 to 5.15 pm |
|
Sunday
9 December | Sunday
Mass at 10.00 am Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon |
| Monday
10 December | Feast
of Saint Francis Xavier Mass at 10.00 am for Gerard McCulloch |
|
Tuesday
11 December | Mass at 10.00 am for Lottie Clarke |
| Wednesday
12 December | Mass at 10.00 am for Sam Ferguson |
| Thursday
13 December | Feast
of Saint Lucy Mass at 10.00 am for Jim Mathieson Penitential Service at 7.00 pm |
| Friday
14 December | Feast
of Saint John of the Cross Mass at 10.00 am for a special intention - MH |
| Saturday
15 December | Feast
of the Immaculate Conception Mass at 10.00 am for Tom Davidson |
PARISH
CENTRE EVENTS
| Sunday
9 December | 10.00
am 10.00 am 11.00 am |
Children's
Liturgy |
| Monday
10 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.30 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 5.30 to 6.30 pm 6.30 to 8.00 pm 7.00 pm 7.00 pm |
Nursery |
| Tuesday
11 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.00 am 11.00 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 7.30 pm 7.30 pm | Nursery
Kindergarten Legion of Mary Nursery Keep Fit Ignatian Prayer Group |
|
Wednesday
12 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.00 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 7.00 | Nursery Kindergarten Nursery Special Religious Education (SPRED) |
| Thursday
13 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.00 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 6.30 to 7.30 pm 7.30 to 9.00 pm | Nursery Kindergarten Nursery Brownies Girl Guides |
|
Friday
14 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.30 am 12.30 to 2.30 pm 3.30 to 9.00 pm | Nursery Parents and Toddlers Nursery Senior Citizens' Dinner |
| Saturday
15 December | 11.00 to 5.00 pm | Senior Citizens' Dinner |
PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
David Parkinson, Jim Pirrie,
May Boland, Tony McHugh (Kilbirnie)
and Johnny Murray (Stevenston)
who died recently and
Agnes Stevenson 1992, Ria Cunningham
1997, Jim McGlynn 2004,
Catherine McGrattan 1969, Maria
Monaghan 1998, Mary Hall 1999,
James Taylor 2002, Margaret Spencer
1992, Margaret Newall 1994,
James McIntosh 1998, Mary Dunn 2002,
Catherine McMahon 2005,
Ina McKay 1998, John Taylor 2002, Monsignor
Peter Murphy 1999,
Mary Magee 1997, Harry McNamara 2002
and Robert McKay 1993
whose anniversaries
occur at this time.
SUNDAY
COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £642.06 - many thanks.
Banker's Orders amount to an average of £4300 per month. Each month £4000
is repaid to the Diocese for the building loan and levy.
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.
PARISH
CENTRE COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection for the Parish Centre amounted
to £360.72 - many thanks.
ADVENT
PENITENTIAL SERVICES
Advent Penitential Services will be held in the following
Churches at the given times.
Monday 10 December at 7.00 pm - Saint
John's, Stevenston
Wednesday 12 December at 2.00 pm - Saint
Mary's, Saltcoats
Wednesday, 12 December at 7.00 pm - Saint
Brendan's, Saltcoats
Thursday 13 December at 7.00 pm - Saint
Peter's, Ardrossan
Friday 21 December at 7.00 pm - Saint
Mary's, Largs
CHOIR
PRACTICE
All members of the choir are invited to a practice in the Church
on Thursday at 7.30 pm in preparation for Christmas. New members would be very
welcome.
NATIVITY
SET RAFFLE
Raffle tickets for a Nativity Set with Shed costing 50p a strip
are on sale at the stall. The draw will take place at the Sunday Teas on 23 December.
ADVENT
EXTRA AND 2008 DIARIES
Advent Extras and 2008 Diaries are available at the
stall at a cost of 50 pence.
SAINT
VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
The Saint
Vincent de Paul Society would welcome any gifts of non perishable, in-date
foodstuffs to supplement its stock for food parcels and so on. A box has been
placed in the porch for such donations. Keyrings
at £1.00 and fridge magnets at £1.50 are for sale. They hold photographs
of Saint Peter's Church.
SAINT
PETER'S CHILDREN'S CENTRE
In celebration of twenty-five years of nursery education
at Saint Peter's, the Children's Centre has, through fundraising and grants received
from North Ayrshire Council and Strathclyde Police, spent £3600 on the first
stage of upgrading the outside play area. Further work will take place in the
spring, including landscaping and creating areas of interest for the children.
We hope that this will serve and be enjoyed by all in the nursery and Parish for
many years to come.
A
SCOTTISH FAREWELL TO FATHER JOHN
Father John returns to Africa at the
beginning of February. We plan to 'roll-up' our usual Saint Andrew's Night Social
and Burns Supper into A Scottish
Farewell to Father John on two dates. On Friday 25 January, there will be
a meal and Scottish entertainment at 7.20 pm for 7.30 pm to 11.00 pm in the Parish
Centre. Tickets cost £10 and will be on sale from the Parish Office from
Monday 7 January. Call in and collect or book by phone on 464063. They will be
issued on a first come, first served basis. On Sunday 27 January form 1.00 pm
to 4.00 pm, there will be an 'open house' event in the Parish Centre with Scottish
snacks - roll and sausage, hot pies, lentil soup and so on. Come anytime and spend
an hour or so chatting. Envelopes for anything you wish Father
John to use in Tanzania will be available in January.
SAINT
MATTHEW'S ACADEMY
An Art Auction will be held in Saint Matthew's Academy on
Saturday,
15 December from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm to
help finance the visit of sixteen Polish pupils. Tickets, including tea, cost
£1.50 and are available from the school or through pupils.
GALLOWAY
NEWSLETTER
Copies of the Galloway Newsletter are available at the stall. Please
take one.
ARDROSSAN
CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE
The annual Ardrossan Churches
and Schools Christmas Carol Service will be held in the Evangelical Union Church
on Thursday 13 December at 7.30 pm. Saint Peter's Primary School children will
be taking part.
DIOCESE
OF GALLOWAY CAROL SERVICE
The Annual Diocesan Carol Service will take place
in Saint Margaret's Cathedral, Ayr on Wednesday 19 December at 7.30 pm. It will
be led by Bishop Cunningham. Tea, coffee and mince pies will be served in the
hall afterwards. All are welcome.
A
RELATION
One winter day, a little boy was standing on a grate next to a bakery
trying to keep his shoeless feet warm. A woman passing by saw the frosty-toed
child and her heart ached. He had on only a light-weight jacket and no shoes and
the air was chilly, the wind sharp. "Where are your shoes, young man?"
she asked. The boy reluctantly admitted he didn't have any. "Why don't you
come with me and we'll see what we can do about that?" the woman said. Taking
his hand, she led him into a nearby shop and bought him a new pair of shoes and
a warm jacket. When they came back out onto the street, the little boy was so
excited that he immediately started to run off to show his family his gifts. Suddenly
he halted, turned around and ran back to the woman. He thanked her and then hesitated,
"Missus, could I ask you a question? Missus, are you God's wife?" The
woman smiled and said, "Oh, no, I'm not God's wife, just one of God's children."
The little boy grinned and nodded enthusiastically"I knew it! I just knew
you were related!".
| Wise
sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away. |
| O
God of the second chance, here I am again. |
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
Isaiah
11:1-10
A
shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him
the spirit of the Lord rests, a spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel
and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (The fear of the
Lord is his breath.) He does not judge by appearances, he gives no verdict on
hearsay, but judges the wretched with integrity, and with equity gives a verdict
for the poor of the land. His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences
bring death to the wicked. Integrity is the loincloth round his waist, faithfulness
the belt about his hips. The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with
the kid, calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them. The cow
and the bear make friends, their young lie down together. The lion eats straw
like the ox. The infant plays over the cobras hole; into the vipers lair the young
child puts his hand. They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy mountain, for the
country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters swell the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples. It will be
sought out by the nations and its home will be glorious.
Second
Reading
Romans
15:4-9
Everything
that was written long ago in the scriptures was meant to teach us something about
hope from the examples scripture gives of how people who did not give up were
helped by God. And may he who helps us when we refuse to give up, help you all
to be tolerant with each other, following the example of Christ Jesus, so that
united in mind and voice you may give glory to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. It can only be to God's glory, then, for you to treat each other
in the same friendly way as Christ treated you. The reason Christ became the servant
of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises
made to the patriarchs, it was also to get the pagans to give glory to God for
his mercy, as scripture says in one place: For this I shall praise you among the
pagans and sing to your name.
Gospel
Matthew
3:1-12
In
due course John the Baptist appeared; he preached in the wilderness of Judaea
and this was his message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at
hand". This was the man the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he said: A voice
cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.
This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his
waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judaea
and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptised
by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. But when he saw a number
of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, "Brood of
vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming? But if you
are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit, and do not presume to tell yourselves,
'We have Abraham for our father,' because, I tell you, God can raise children
for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees,
so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown
on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who follows me
is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise
you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear
his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into the barn; but the chaff he will
burn in a fire that will never go out.".