BULLETIN                  22 DECEMBER 2013

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT IN YEAR 1


CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 21 December  

Mass at 10.00 am for deceased priests and people of our parish.
Confession from 12 noon to 2.00 pm in Saint John's, Stevenston
Confession from 4.00 pm to 5.15 pm
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm for Christmas intentions

Sunday 22 December  

Sunday Mass at 10.30 am for the congregation

Monday 23 December  
Mass at 10.00 am for Mass for Christmas intentions and Joe Allan
Vigil of the Deceased at 6.00 pm for Janet Ferris
Tuesday 24 December  

No Mass at 10.00 am
First Vigil Mass of Christmas at 5.30 pm for Maria Reid, Alice McGrattan and George Hilferty
First Vigil Mass of Christmas at 8.30 pm for Alex Fitzpatrick

Wednesday 25 December  

Mass of Christmas Day at 11.00 am for all our parishioners

Thursday 26 December  

Mass at 10.00 am for John Dolan and Tom McKay

Friday 27 December  

Mass at 10.00 am for Martin and Cathie DeMuro

Saturday 28 December  

Mass at 10.00 am for Maria Reid and Arturo and Cosimo Farro
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm for Kit Keen and Jessie Brown

The Mass intention list is just over two weeks ahead. Please notify anniversaries as early as you can. Thanks.
Any changes to the above times caused, for example, by a funeral will be notified on the home page of this website.


PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 22 December  

11.30 am

Tea and Coffee after Mass

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
Rosemary Menzies and Joe Allan who died recently;
Ellen Barrett 1984, Tom Braniff 2003, Doris Coulter 2012, Jenny McAree 2003, Jean Orr 2008, Peggy Hamilton, Patrick McLaughlin 1998, Mereno Berti 2003, Sister Anne Delahunt 2011, Peggy McLaughlan 2006, Bessie Delahunt 2006, Tom McKay, Bessie O'Rourke 2005, George Scott 1973, Jessie Brown 1975, Tom Finn 1993, Anne-Marie Jenkins 2005, Sister Mary McCann, Isobel O'Hare Rae 2004, Patrick Quinn 1969, Margaret Shanks 1966, Margaret Clarkson 2003, Molly Cosgrove 1994, Catherine McEvoy 2009, Arthur Robertson, Arturo Farro 1994, Catherine McCulloch 2012, Rose Murphy 2009, Thomas O'Connell 1957 and May Shanks 1990 whose anniversaries occur at this time and those who are sick.
If a member of your family or a friend is sick, please let us know and give us the details. Deacon Bill Corbett (01292 521208, 07904 248948, Rev.BillCorbett@btinternet.com) is the chaplain to Crosshouse Hospital and Canon Keegans (01292 263488) is the chaplain to Ayr Hospital. The priest on call can be contacted through the ward.
If deceased members of your family are not on our anniversary list, please tell Canon Matt
, the parish office or contact
WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterinChains.net.


SUNDAY MASS TIMES
Sunday Mass times in Saint Peter's are 5.30 pm Vigil and 10.30 am. Sunday Mass times in other local parishes can be seen here.

SACRAMENT OF FORGIVENESS
The Sacrament of Forgiveness is available at any suitable time as well as from 4.30 pm before the Vigil Mass on Saturday evenings.

FINANCES
Bankers Orders the Parish and Parish Centre amount to £3800 per month. Every month, we pay off our Parish Centre debt by £3000 and pay a levy of £1450 to the Diocese. We are grateful for your generous support in collections. If you can manage a little more from time to time, it would be a great help. Have you thought of using a Bankers Order? It assists us with the safe handling of cash. Banker's Orders for the Parish and Centre amount to an average of £3800 per month. Forms are available. Would you consider remembering Saint Peter's in your will?

OFFERTORY COLLECTION
Last weekend's Offertory collection amounted to £593.43 - many thanks.


PARISH CENTRE COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection for
the Parish Centre amounted to £225.49 - many thanks.


BUILDING FUND

Donations to the Building Fund amounted to
£1347 - many thanks.


GIFT AID
The Inland Revenue now requires us to use a new style of Gift Aid form. These are available at the back of the Church. If you pay tax, please complete the new form and return it to the box provided. This allows us to provide the additional information required on the Gift Aid claim. Gift Aid is a vital source of income. All that is needed is that you pay tax. You simply declare that you give funds to the Church. We do the rest. Why not sign a form today? We get back an extra 25p for every £1 you give the Church in your weekly collection or by way of a donation. There is no need to cancel or renew it. We simply claim in the income we receive.


READERS
Next weekend's readers are Julie Coldwell at 5.30 pm and Alfie Agostini at 10.30 am.

ALTAR SERVERS
Next weekend's altar servers are AM at 5.30 pm and Group 1 at 10.30 am.

SUNDAY TEAS
Next Sunday's teas will be served by Annie Thompson’s team.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY
The Children's Liturgy is celebrated during the Sunday 10.00 am Mass. We have groups for three to five years, primary 1 and 2 and primary 3. All children are welcome. The Children's Liturgy restarts on Sunday 12 January.


CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MASSES
Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year. The Christmas Masses will be celebrated at
  - 5.30 pm on Tuesday, the first Vigil Mass of Christmas
  - 8.30 pm on Tuesday, the second Vigil Mass of Christmas
  - 11.00 am on Wednesday, the Mass on Christmas Day
The Sunday Masses on 29 December, the Feast of the Holy Family, will be at the usual times - Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm and Sunday Mass at 10.30 am. There is a Vigil Mass to mark the end of the old year at 5.30 pm on Tuesday 31 December. This Mass will be offered for all those who died in 2013. Mass on New Year’s Day, Wednesday 1 January, the Feast of Mary the Mother of God, will be at 11.00 am.

BURNS SUPPER
The 2014 Burns Supper will take place in the Parish Centre on Saturday 1 February at 7.00 pm. Patrons are asked to be seated by 6.50 pm. The Immortal Memory will be delivered by Michael Diamond, past President of Irvine Burns Club. John Hunter, North Ayrshire Councillor for Ardrossan and Arran will propose the Toast to the Lassies and Katy Clark, shown right, Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire and Arran will reply. Other participants include Bill Andrew, Rachel Brown, Michael McCulloch, George McGrattan and Ciaran Sinclair. Tickets cost £12.50 and they should be booked in advance though the Parish Office on 01294 464063. Patrons can request group seating arrangements to be with friends. The meal will be prepared and served by Michael and Fiona Brown, family and friends. Vegetarian meals are available with notice as an alternative to the traditional Burns Supper main course.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS
The letter from the Scottish Bishops on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is available on our website. Printed or email copies are available on request. The letter contains the web address where historic cases are recorded.

VATICAN CONSULTATION ON THE FAMILY
An extensive consultation document on the family has been issued. There is the original document - it makes heavy reading and is in quite difficult language - or a simplified version. You can have either or both. Printed copies are available. Both documents can be downloaded from the parish website.

DIOCESAN CONSULTATION
Like the other Dioceses in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, we must continue to face up to the declining number of people attending Mass and to the increasing costs of maintaining, heating and caring for our buildings as well as the decreasing number of priests. Bishop John has issued a Consultation Paper for us to consider over the Christmas period. In January we will have a Three Towns meeting to consider a way forward. The Consultation Paper is available now.

PARISH CHRISTMAS CARD
The card is available to everyone this weekend and contains greetings to and from our parishioners.

ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND VISITS TO SAINT PETER’S WEBSITE
On 25 November 2013, the one hundred thousandth visit was made to Saint Peter’s website which was launched on 13 July 2005. The site has over 1750 web pages, 1100 pictures, 490 bulletins between 1960 and 2013, 14000 links, some audio and video clips and been viewed in 81 countries worldwide. Over 1200 of our deceased relatives and friends are remembered in our Anniversary List and some are featured in our Memoriam Cards page. The site contains many articles on past and present spiritual and community life in Saint Peter's with pages dedicated to our recent seventy-fifth anniversary.
Canon Matt and the website author are very grateful to those who have accessed the site, lent photographs, passed on stories, identified errors, made suggestions and expressed compliments. The aims of the site are to make parishioners and others aware of current events and record our history. If you can help with this project, please speak to Canon Matt or contact WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterinChains.net.

PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE GROUPS (PVG)
Could all volunteers let the Parish Office know when you receive your Protection of Vulnerable Groups paperwork in the post? Thanks.


SAINT MATTHEW’S ACADEMY WEBSITE
Saint Matthew's Academy, Saltcoats has a new website under construction at www.SaintMatthewsAcademy.com You might find it interesting.

VISITORS
Are you visiting us for Mass? Please know that you are very welcome. During the 10.30 am Mass outwith holidays, there is a Children’s Liturgy provided for preschool children, children in Primaries 1 to 3 and a Sacramental Programme for children in Primary 4. After the 10.30 am Mass, tea, coffee cakes and buns are available in the Parish Centre. At both of our weekend Masses, we have a second collection for our Parish Centre debt.


LOURDES JUMBULANCE PILGRIMAGE 2014
Our local Galloway group will be travelling to Lourdes on pilgrimage from Thursday 24 April to Saturday 3 May. There are places available for sick pilgrims - 'VIPs', helpers, relatives and nurses, all to travel in the specially adapted coach suitable even for those unable to fly. For more information or to make a booking please contact the Group Leader Alison Neil on 07749 555 955 or by e-mail on amd.neil@virgin.net.

ADVERTISER SUPPORT
Our advertisers would welcome your support. We are grateful for their continuing sponsorship. We are grateful for the support of Mr and Mrs Sohal, Nisa Stores, Glasgow Street for the weekly donation of tea, coffee and milk for the Sunday teas.

PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS - MISSION STATEMENT
The Catholic Church in Scotland is concerned with the lives, safety, wholeness and well-being of each individual person within God's purpose for everyone. It seeks to safeguard the welfare of people of all ages who are involved in whatever capacity
with the Church and its organisations. As a Church community, we accept that it is the responsibility of all of us, ordained, professed, paid and voluntary members, to work together to prevent the physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults.