Sunday: January 2nd
THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER
THE NATIVITY
MASS (OLHoC): 6.00pm (Sat.) (Michael & Getrude O’Rourke RIP)
MASS (St Joseph’s): 9.00am (Pro Populo)
X Unfortunately, there are NO Refreshments after
Mass
MASS (OLHoC): 11.00am (deceased members of Wilkes family)
X Unfortunately, there are NO Refreshments after
Mass
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
• MONDAY, January 3rd – The Beatified Martyrs of the Diocese
MASS (OLHoC): 9.00am (for the Doctors and staff of Manor Road Clinic)
• TUESDAY, January 4th - Feria
MASS (OLHoC) 9.00am (Vera Pickering RIP)
• WEDNESDAY, January 5th - Feria
MASS (OLHoC): 10.00am (Ellen & Michael Dillon RIP)
X Unfortunately,
there are NO Refreshments after Mass
• THURSDAY, January
6th
THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
MASS (St Joseph’s): 9.00am (Fr
Edmund Hartley RIP)
MASS (OLHoC): 12.00 noon (for the first born of Mr & Mrs Strinati, Frances Anne Strinati)
MASS
(OLHoC): 7.30pm (John Snowden RIP)
• FRIDAY, January
7th – Feria
MASS (OLHoC) 9.00am (Rebecca Luton RIP)
• SATURDAY,
January 8th – Feria
MASS (St Joseph’s): 10.00am (Private intention of J Smith)
Following Sunday: January 9th
THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
MASS (OLHoC): 6.00pm (Sat.) (Theresa and Norman Sharp RIP)
MASS (OLHoC): 9.00am (Pro Populo)
X Unfortunately, there are NO Refreshments after
Mass
MASS (OLHoC): 11.00am (Margaret Patey RIP)
X Unfortunately, there are NO Refreshments after Mass
More on the Synod!
Our original deadline has been extended so we’ve more time to gather your views! But we’re aware that not everyone is online or can attend meetings! So we invite you to complete a paper-based questionnaire. It’s one side of A4, with room on the back for your comments if you wish.
We’ll hand out the questionnaire after next weekend’s Masses on 8th and 9th January. Please return completed questionnaires the following weekend; there will be a box at the back of each church, or put through the Presbytery letterbox at Guildhall Street. And thank you, in advance, for taking part!
Chi Davies and John Philpott (your parish synod delegates)
X FACE COVERINGS - HM Government has made the wearing of face covering mandatory in Places of Worship since Friday 10th December 2021.
X UCM MEETING POSTPONED UNTIL FEBRUARY – the UCM have taken the decision to postpone their parish AGM until Wednesday 2nd February.
X REMINDER – THERE IS CURRENTLY NO COFFEE IN THE HALL AFTER MASS - with the rise in infection rates for Covid, a decision has been taken to temporarily suspend tea and coffee after Mass. Whilst the church remains safe, with limited moving around and masks being worn, we are unable to offer that level of health and safety in the hall for tea and coffee after Mass. We apologise for any inconvenience, but your safety is our paramount concern.
X THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD will take place on Thursday 6th January and is a Holy Day of Obligation. There will be Mass at St Joseph’s at 9.00am and at Our Lady, Help of Christians and St Aloysius at 12 noon and 7.30pm.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
From Fr Alex Saba
We have started the new year 2022 with the Feast of Mary, The Holy Mother of God. This ancient title of Mary, THEOTOKOS, bearer of God, teaches us that Mary, in accepting her role as mother of the Messiah, has become the first follower of her own child and has embraced his Gospel of hope, compassion and reconciliation. Mary is not only the bearer of God, but she has become a fitting example, a role model for anyone who wishes to follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the one who made our reconciliation possible. We also pray for peace in the world with the same Feast, as this is the time, the Holy Father sends a message of peace to the leaders of various government throughout the world. However, this year we are celebrating the Peace Day on Sunday16th January 2022.
During the very first six days of the new year we join the Magi and our brothers and sisters of the East to celebrate the manifestation of the arrival of the Messiah. We are led to him by a star, says Matthew in his Gospel, to remind us of the prophecy of Balaam in the Book of Numbers chapter 24:17 “A star shall advance from Jacob.”
So, between the 1st of January to the 9th of January, we will be celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany on Thursday 6th January, then with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the 9th of January, we conclude our Christmas Season -this is the time we bring all our decorations down, to enter the ordinary time before the season of Lent.
My wish for us all
as a parish this year is that, following the example of Mary, one of our Patron
Saints, we may continue to be bearers of God’s peace to one another and our
local community. What we say, write, think, do, our plans and ambitions, may
they all be motivated by peace. Let us wholeheartedly bring the message of true
reconciliation and peace to all.
Our plan for 2022 is to complete all our renovation works, establish our various parish committees and get on with our mission that is to know and love Christ, grow in our relationship with him through our personal spiritual journey continue our journey together as a parish community, commit to the centrality of our sharing in the daily and weekly Eucharist where our togetherness is truly felt when we are physically present, renew our willingness to keep each other safe through the observance of the restrictions especially when we gather in the Church for the celebration of the Eucharist, uphold our readiness to contribute financially to various expenditure of the parish, be open to use some of our time to Catechise by embracing the role of a Catechist, or use our talents as welcomers at Mass, readers, singers, organisers of the Coffee after Masses, and all the parish activities and groups I have mentioned in my November letter to you.
I thank those who are already doing the above and encourage them to continue. I am calling for more people to join in all we do here to sustain and share the faith. The labour is huge, but the labourers are few. The parish is your spiritual family beside your biological one, come and join in all we do and become all that we are, together we will be contagious.
Happy New year 2022 to you all, true reconciliation, peace and love.
X POPE’S PRAYER INTENTION FOR JANUARY 2022 - FOR TRUE HUMAN FRATERNITY. We pray for all those suffering from religious discrimination and persecution; may their own rights and dignity be recognized, which originate from being brothers and sisters in the human family.
X THANK YOU to Fr Louis Kouevi for assisting Fr Capener
to cover masses in the parish whilst Fr Alex took a short break until 6th January.
PARISH INFORMATION
Presbytery and Parish
Office:
41
Guildhall Street, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1EF
Tel:
01303 252823 e-mail: folkestone@rcaos.org.uk
Parish Secretary: Mr Dylan Jeffrey BA,
PGCE, MSc
Clergy
Parish Priest: Fr Alex Saba MA,
MSLR, MCL, JCL
Priest: Fr Francis Capener MA
Deacon: Rev. Dr Gehad Homsey
MB, BCh
Our
Lady Help of Christians Hall Bookings:
Dylan
Jeffrey (Tel:01303 252823)
St
Joseph’s Church Hall Bookings:
Mrs
M. Irving (Tel: 01303 278435)
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