BULLETIN                                                             5 APRIL 2020

PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD IN YEAR 1



SERVICES AND GATHERINGS
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, public Church services and gatherings are suspended till further notice.
Father Duncan will celebrate Holy Mass privately every day and assures you of his prayers for you and your family.

A READING FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH - 50:4-7
The Lord has given me a disciple's tongue. So that I may know how to reply to the wearied, he provides me with speech. Each morning he wakes me to hear, to listen like a disciple. The Lord has opened my ear. For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away. I offered my back to those who struck me, my cheeks to those who tore at my beard; I did not cover my face against insult and spittle. The Lord comes to my help, so that I am untouched by the insults. So, too, I set my face like flint. I know I shall not be ashamed.

A READING FROM THE LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS - 2:6-11
His state was divine, yet Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are - and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of the Father.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW - 21:1-11
When they were near Jerusalem and had come in sight of Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them "Go into the village facing you and you will immediately find a tethered donkey and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you are to say "The Master needs them and will send them back directly." This took place to fulfil the prophecy - Say to the daughter of Zion. Look, your king comes to you. He is humble, he rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden. So the disciples went out and did as Jesus had told them. They brought the donkey and the colt, then they laid their cloaks on their backs and he sat on them. Great crowds of people spread their cloaks on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in his path. The crowds who went in front him and those who followed were all shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heavens!" And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil. "Who is this?" people asked and the crowds answered "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."


RECENTLY DECEASED
Three funeral services have been arranged at gravesides in Ardrossan Cemetery. All are for close family only. On Tuesday 7 April, there will be services for Seamus Reilly senior at 10.00am and Pauline Grear at 2.00pm. John McLaughlin of Kilwinning and formerly of Ardrossan will be interred on Friday 17 April at 1.00pm. The arrangements for John Mullen, son of Betty Craig, will be posted when they are known. May they all rest in peace.

HOW TO CELEBRATE HOLY WEEK IN YOUR DOMESTIC CHURCH
In the weeks leading up to Holy Week and Easter, the Catholic Church encourages us to persevere in our Lenten penances so that we can 'come safely to the paschal festivities'. But what if paschal festivities look different this year than ever before? For all of us, Holy Week and Easter will come and go in the liturgical calendar with no public Masses, gatherings, or traditional celebrations. Many of us are in lockdown or quarantine situations, combatting the reality of Coronavirus. But that doesn’t mean we can’t participate in the beauty of Holy Week and Easter, though! If you’re looking for practical and easy ways to enter into Holy Week and the joy of Easter from the domestic church of your own home, here are a few ideas!
Enter into the daily Liturgy of the Word
Whether you gather to pray with a live-stream Mass or enter into a prayer service at home, continue to make Sunday a day of worship. Beginning with Palm Sunday, you can enter into liturgical living by covering up the crosses, crucifixes, statues and sacred art throughout your home. This practice heightens our senses, alerting us of the coming beauty of Holy Week and the joyful celebration of Easter. Crosses and crucifixes are uncovered on Good Friday, while all other sacred art and statues remain covered until the Easter Vigil.
Pray for catechumens and candidates
Easter Vigil is normally a time where catechumens and candidates come home to the Catholic Church. But with many dioceses throughout the world canceling public Easter Masses, those preparing to enter into the Church are surrounded by the unknown. You can remember them specifically in your prayers in the weeks leading up to Holy Week. If you know the names of catechumens and candidates from your parish, remember to pray for them by name!
Palm Sunday
Shout Hosanna! It may feel a little silly to shout Hosanna, especially given the current state of the world. But don’t worry about what the person who shares an apartment wall will think. Enter into the liturgy unabashed. If you still have your palm from last year, put in in a place you’ll see it throughout the day. Newly blessed palms will be available in the porch of the presbytery.
Holy Thursday
The readings for Holy Thursday remind us of the beauty of the Eucharist and the priesthood. Even if you can’t receive the Eucharist, you can make a spiritual act of communion. Make time to thank God for the gift of the Eucharist and look forward with hope to the next time you can receive him sacramentally. Wash each other’s feet. When Christ washed the feet of the twelve, it served as a reminder to them - and us - to serve others in our daily life. Do you live alone? Saint Basil wrote 'Whose feet do you wash? Whom do you care for? To whom do you make yourself inferior and last of all since you live alone?' If you’re at home by yourself during Holy Thursday, serve others around you in some way. Call your neighbours to see if they’re doing okay. Check in with family who also live alone.
Good Friday
Read the readings of the day, including the passion narrative, and pray for those traditionally remembered in the solemn intercessions, like those who do not believe in Christ and those who are in moments of tribulation. Because of the pandemic, the Church will add an extra petition for those who are sick and for medical staff. Venerate the Cross. If you covered up the crucifixes and crosses in your home in preparation for Holy Week, uncover them and show reverence to the cross, whether by genuflecting or kissing the cross. Let this Good Friday be a day of silence and remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Pray the Stations of the Cross - a beautiful prayer to remember each step of Christ’s walk to Calvary. You can pray these with your family at 3.00pm, honoured in a special way as the time when Christ breathed his last.
Easter Vigil
The readings for the Easter Vigil contain seven readings, an epistle and the Gospel. If you’re in lockdown mode, what better way to spend your time on Easter Vigil than by tracing salvation history throughout Scripture. Light a candle in your home.
Easter Sunday
The readings for Easter Sunday are full of hope and rejoicing – both things we all need more of right now. Whether you tune into a live-streaming Mass or you sit quietly in prayer, make time today for worship. Sing Alleluia! We haven’t been able to say this word for forty days, so shout it from the rooftops and wish your neighbours a joyful Easter!

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The financial support and upkeep of the Parish is also drastically affected by the present situation. Please try and hand in your Offertory envelopes to the Parish Office when you can or better still, consider taking out a Banker's Order for Saint Peter's as the social isolation will probably impact us for the next months. Banker's Order and Gift Aid Declaration forms are available in the Parish Office and on our website. If you would prefer that we email you or post the forms, please let the Parish Office know. If you require any assistance in completing the forms, please contact George at the Parish Office and he can speak to you by phone. Thank you for all you do and for your solidarity and generosity. In these difficult financial times, there is no obligation to give to the Sunday Collection. If, however, you feel able to, you can donate by text message to an account set up by the Diocese of Galloway. It is not possible to nominate a particular parish so all text-giving donations will be shared among parishes. To donate, text the word SUNDAY to 70085 followed by the number of pounds, from 1 to 20. For example, SUNDAY 5 to 70085 gives £5. This message would cost £5 plus one standard rate message charge. Thank you for all your commitment and support.

EMAIL SCAM
Some parishioners have received an email, purportedly from Father Duncan, asking for money. This is a scam. Please do not give funds to the sender. Legitimate ways to donate to the Church are by text-giving to the Diocese of Galloway, Banker's Order or sending a donation, ideally by cheque, to the Church's postal address, 1 South Crescent Road, Ardrossan, Ayrshire, KA22 8DU. Any method not mentioned on this website is fraudulent.


THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Every day, Father Duncan will celebrate Holy Mass privately, focusing on these Thoughts for the Day.
A message from Father Duncan on Sunday 5 April 2020

Dear Parishioners
Today, on Palm Sunday, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish at 10.30am. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Popes usually give this blessing only immediately after their election and on Christmas and Easter. "The worldwide coronavirus pandemic is not God's judgment on humanity, but God's call for people to judge what is most important to them and resolve to act accordingly from now on. Lord, it is not the time of your judgment, but of our judgment: a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It is a time to get our lives back on track with regard to you, Lord, and to others." Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Monday 6 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Bridget McLellan on her anniversary. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Pope Francis prayed that the Almighty and Merciful God would see how people are suffering and give them comfort. He asked to care for the sick and dying, for medical workers exhausted by caring for the sick and for political leaders who bear the burden of making decisions to protect their people. Pope Francis included the Gospel of Mark's account of Jesus calming the stormy sea. "Let us invite Jesus into the boats of our lives. Let us hand over our fears to him so that he can conquer them. Like the disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee, we will experience that, with him on board, there will be no shipwreck, because this is God's strength - turning to the good everything that happens to us, even the bad things. The passage from Saint Mark's Gospel begins with the words, 'when evening had come'." Pope Francis said that with the pandemic and its sickness and death and with the lockdowns and closures of schools and workplaces, it has felt like 'for weeks now it has been evening. Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities. It has taken over our lives, filling everything with a deafening silence and a distressing void that stops everything as it passes by. We feel it in the air, we notice it in people's gestures - their glances give them away'. Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.

A message from Father Duncan on Tuesday 7 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Joseph Murray who died recently. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Pope Francis said "We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. However, the pandemic storm has made most people realise that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented. And it has shown how each person has a contribution to make, at least in comforting each other. On this boat are all of us. The pandemic has exposed our vulnerability and uncovers those false and superfluous certainties around which we have constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities. In the midst of the storm, God is calling people to faith, which is not just believing God exists, but turning to him and trusting him. As Lent and the pandemic go on, he said, God continues to call people to 'convert' and 'return to me with all your heart'. " Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Wednesday 8 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, l celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish and Seamus Reilly senior who died recently. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Pope Francis preached"It is a time to decide to live differently, live better, love more and care for others and every community is filled with people who can be role models - individuals, who, even though fearful, have reacted by giving their lives. The Holy Spirit can use the pandemic to redeem, value and demonstrate how our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people - often forgotten people - who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, but are serving others and making life possible during the pandemic." Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.

A message from Father Duncan on Thursday 9 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, on Holy Thursday, celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper privately for the Parish at 7.00pm. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Pope Francis listed "doctors, nurses, supermarket employees, cleaners, caregivers, providers of transport, law and order forces, volunteers, priests, religious men and women and so very many others who have understood that no one reaches salvation by themselves. How many people every day are exercising patience and offering hope, taking care to sow not panic but a shared responsibility and how many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday gestures, how to face up to and navigate a crisis by adjusting their routines, lifting their gaze and fostering prayer. How many are praying, offering and interceding for the good of all. Prayer and quiet service - these are our victorious weapons." Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Friday 10 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, on Good Friday, I celebrate the Lord's Passion privately for the Parish at 3.00pm. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Pope Francis preached "In the boat, when the disciples plead with Jesus to do something, Jesus responds 'Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" Lord, your word strikes us and is meant for us, all of us. In this world that you love more than we do, we have gone ahead at breakneck speed, feeling powerful and able to do anything. Greedy for profit, we let ourselves get caught up in things and be lured away by haste. We did not stop at your reproach to us, we were not shaken awake by wars or injustice across the world, nor did we listen to the cry of the poor or of our ailing planet. We carried on regardless, thinking we would stay healthy in a world that was sick. Now that we are in a stormy sea, we implore you 'Wake up, Lord!' Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Saturday 11 April 2020
Dear Parishioners
Today, on Holy Saturday, l celebrate the Easter Vigil privately for the Parish at 7.30pm. Pope Francis gave an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi Blessing - to the city and the world - on 27 March. Pope Francis said "The Lord is calling on people to put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be foundering. The Lord awakens so as to reawaken and revive our Easter faith. We have an anchor - by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder - by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope - by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love." Pope Francis told people watching around the world that he would "entrust all of you to the Lord, through the intercession of Mary, health of the people and star of the stormy sea. May God's blessing come down upon you as a consoling embrace. Lord, may you bless the world, give health to our bodies and comfort our hearts. You ask us not to be afraid. Yet our faith is weak and we are fearful. But you, Lord, will not leave us at the mercy of the storm." Please be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.

PRAYER DURING A PANDEMIC
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health or paying their rent.
May we who have flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbours. Amen.                           Cameron Bell


HOW THE BLACK PLAGUE CHANGED THE HAIL MARY PRAYER
The Hail Mary prayer that Christians have been praying for centuries is composed of two main parts. The first part of the prayer is derived from the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel greeted Mary by saying "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28). The next part of the prayer is taken from the Visitation when Elizabeth greeted Mary with the words "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Luke 1:42). The second part - Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death" - is believed by many to have been added during the plague to ask for the Blessed Mother's protection from the fatal disease. Venerable Fulton J Sheen explains this origin in his book The World's First Love. Since it seizes upon the two decisive moments of life - 'now' and 'at the hour of our death', it suggests the spontaneous outcry of people in a great calamity. The Black Death, which ravaged all Europe and wiped out one-third of its population, prompted the faithful to cry out to the Mother of Our Lord to protect them at a time when the present moment and death were almost one. During times of great suffering, Christians have always turned to God and those saints closest to him, in hopes that he will bring relief to his people. Easter at home is an opportunity for faith.

HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY
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 is assisted by the Priest on call each week.

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.