BULLETIN 16
DECEMBER 2007
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT IN YEAR 1
CHURCH
SERVICES
Saturday
15 December | Confession
on request from 4.30 to 5.15 pm |
Sunday
16 December | Sunday
Mass at 10.00 am Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon |
Monday
17 December | Mass at 10.00 am for Roseann McDonald |
Tuesday
18 December | Mass at 10.00 am for Margaret Fulton |
Wednesday
19 December | Mass at 10.00 am for Gerard Ritchie |
Thursday
20 December | Mass
at 10.00 am for Terry
Britnall Penitential Service at 7.00 pm |
Friday
21 December | Mass at 10.00 am for a special intention - IB |
Saturday
22 December | Mass at 10.00 am for Bridie Clarke |
PARISH
CENTRE EVENTS
Sunday
16 December | 10.00
am 10.00 am 11.00 am 2.00 pm |
Children's
Liturgy |
Monday
17 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.30 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm 7.00 pm 7.00 pm |
Nursery |
Tuesday
18 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 | Nursery
Nativity Play Kindergarten Legion of Mary Nursery Nativity Play Keep Fit |
Wednesday
19 December | 9.00
to 11.30 am 9.30 to 11.00 am 12.30 to 3.00 pm | Nursery Kindergarten Nursery |
Thursday
20 December | 6.30
to 7.30 pm 7.30 to 9.00 pm | Brownies Girl Guides |
Friday
21 December | 7.30 to 11.45 pm | Private Party |
PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
Agnes Martin, Jim Cairns
(Saltcoats) and Desmond Walsh (Kilwinning)
who died recently
and
Theresa Dorrans 2006, Anne Thompson 1988, Josephine
McGeachy 2003,
Mary Magee 1997, Harry McNamara 2002, Robert
McKay 1993,
Larry Kernahan 1998, Roseanne Kirkwood 1991, Susan Jones 1996,
Mary Wishart 2002, Frances
Kilbane, Chris Casey 2006,
Sister Hilda CP 2000, Jenny McAtee
2003, Tom Braniff 2003
and Ellen Barrett 1984 whose
anniversaries occur at this time.
SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £756.49 - 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 £300.65 - many thanks.
CONGRATULATIONS,
ADDIE
Congratulations and best wishes to Addie
Hissey
who celebrates her one hundredth birthday on Monday.
ADVENT
PENITENTIAL SERVICE
An Advent Penitential Service will be held in Saint
Mary's, Largs
on Friday 21 December
at 7.00 pm.
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.
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
The children will be performing a Nativity Play
on Tuesday at 10.00 am and 1.30 pm to which parishioners will be very welcome.
On Wednesday, the Centre will close after the Christmas Parties for the Kindergarten
and Nursery children and reopen on Monday 7th January. Josephine Coulter and staff
would like to thank all parents for their support since August and wish them all
a Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for 2008.
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.
GALLOWAY
NEWSLETTER
Copies of the Galloway Newsletter are available at the stall. Please
take one.
A
HISTORY OF OUR LADY, STAR OF THE SEA
A book by Bernard Aspinwall, titled A
History Of Our Lady, Star Of The Sea (Saint
Mary's) Saltcoats on the history of the Church from 1853 to 2007 is
available from the parish office for £5.
FOUND
An Italian Millenium Medal was found in one of the collection bags. It can be
collected from the stall.
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.
FORGIVENESS
"My life is like shattered glass." said the visitor. "My soul is
tainted with evil. Is there any hope for me?". "Yes" said the Master.
"There is something whereby each broken thing is bound again and every stain
made clean." . "What?". "Forgiveness". "Whom do
I forgive?". "Everyone - Life, God, your neighbour - especially yourself.".
"How is that done?". "By understanding that no one is to blame."
said the Master. "No one.".
Keep
your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. |
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 35:1-6,10
Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,
let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy.
The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they
shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God. Strengthen all weary
hands, steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts, Courage! Do not
be afraid. Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God;
he is coming to save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears
of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of
the dumb sing for joy; for those the Lord has ransomed shall return. They will
come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness
will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.
Second
Reading
James
5:7-10
Be patient, brothers, until the Lord"s coming. Think of a farmer:
how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the
autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be patient; do not lose heart,
because the Lord"s coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one
another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge
is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting
with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Gospel
Matthew
11:2-11
John in his prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his
disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to
wait for someone else?" Jesus answered, "Go back and tell John what
you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed
to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me." as the
messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John: "What
did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then
what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear
fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see
a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom
scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare
your way before you. I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a
greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he is.".