Parish Newsletter, week beginning Sunday, 15th March 2015.

Fourth Sunday of Lent ~ Lætare Sunday

This week:

CHURCH HEATING As you are aware the church heating is neither efficient or cost effective. In order to preserve our church building and to feel more comfortable, we need to replace the existing under floor system which was originally installed 50 years ago with a modern, efficient system. To install gas central heating it would cost £47,000 inc. VAT, plus £4,789 inc. VAT for infrastructure works. £51,789 in total.

Now I am appealing to every family in the parish to contribute in a generous way, as is financially possible to you to help us meet the total costs. Donations can be made by cheque to ‘Parish of the Immaculate Conception’ or by Bank transfer. Please contact the parish office for details. Progress so far.

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LENT 2015 AT THE PARISH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, BICESTER. A HOLY SEASON OF PENANCE, FASTING AND ALMSGIVING

Highlights of Our Journey to Easter This Year Tuseday, 24th March ~ Community Concert - Resurrection Rock 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm Wednesday, 25th March - The Solemnity of the Annunciation. Holy Hour ~ 7.00 pm - 8.00 pm. For all Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Reders, Altar Servers, Wardens, Welcomers, Flower Ladies, Chior Members, Counters, Cleaning Teams, Children's Liturgy Teams, Catechists, Coffee Rota Members Monday, 30th March 7.00 pm ~ Penitential Service with the opportunity for individual Confession Extra Masses on Tuesday at 7.00 am in the church and on Thursday at 8.00 am either in the church or in St. Mary's School. Stations of the Cross each Friday at 7.00 pm. Walk With Me booklets, pictured left, and Lent calendars for the children are available in the church porch. £1.00 donations for the booklets gratefully received.

This affects children who are currently in Year 2 in primary school. Please note that some changes have been made to the next course for children's reconciliation in the 2015 programme compared to previous years. Children will be prepared for the sacrament while they are in Year 2. The course will start in March. A rite of enrolement will be celebrated at the 9.00 am Mass on Sunday, 15th March which all children must attend as well as regularly attending one of the Masses each Sunday. Classes of preparation will take place on five Saturdays from the 21st of March - details on this wbsite or from the back of the church or the parish office. The final session will be on Saturday, 4th July. The children will then make their first Confession at 7.00 pm on Wednesday, 8th July at the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

First Reconciliation application form (PDF file will open in a new window)

The Second Collection last weekend for CAFOD raised £428.34. Thank you. The second collection this weekend will be for cathedral maintenance.

Have you thought of including the parish in your last will? In the past Parishes were left with legacies. If you would like to leave a legacy to the parish, please contact Fr. John. The large statue of the Immaculate Conception that adorns the front of the church, Bicester's first piece of public Sculpture was paid for by a legacy left to the parish. May the donor rest in peace.

It has been noticed that poor quality votive candles are being burnt on our church stands. The church supplies good quality church candles that comply with health and safety regulations for burning and we respectfully ask that only these be used. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

An amazing £564.85 was raised towards the heating fund. Thank you to the organisers and to everyone who came along to the lunch. The next one, the Spring Lunch, will be on Tuesday, 24th March.

Many thanks to all those who braved the fact that it was Friday, the 13th, and attened the latest coffee morning. £149.58 was raised towards parish funds. The next coffee morning will be on Friday, 20th March.

There will be a meeting for all new extraordinary ministers and readers on Thursday, 19th March anfter the 7.00 pm Mass and on Saturday, 28th March after the 10.15 am Mass. If you are interested in carrying out either or both of these important ministries, please contact Fr.John or the parish office.

The Oxford leg of the Student Cross will be doing their annual pilgrimage to Walsingham again this year. They arrive at Bicester in time for the Vigil Mass on Palm Sunday, this year the 28th of March. A group of kind parishioners provide them with breakfast on Palm Sunday morning to set them on their way. If you would like to help please contact the parish office.

Exciting news! Registration to join the Archdiocese of Birmingham pilgrimage to the World Youth Day in Krakòw in 2016 is now open

At The John Paul II Centre between 9.30 - 11.00 am. Croissant and coffee £2.50. Please purchase tickets in advance. Now on sale.

Lilies can be bought in memory of a relative or friend for £2.50 each during Lent. They will be used to decorate the church during Easter. Please see any of the flower ladies at Mass times or alternately please complete a slip available in the church porch and return it via the welcomers or parish office.

Can you spare one hour every Wednesday between 12.00 and 1.00 pm during term time from the beginning of March for two months? If so, would you be prepared to run the Rosary Club at St. Mary's School during my absence? Please contact Barbara Nichols for further details. "I do hope that somebody will come forward. The club will cease to run otherwise, which would be a great shame."

An appeal for unwanted rosaries has been made by the Catenians. These are sent to third world countries and the Pacific islands. If you do have any please give them to the welcomers at the Sunday Masses, any member of the Catenians or the parish office

The Parish of the Immaculate Conception has been honoured to be named at the venue for the 2015 Annual Missio Mass. This will be celebrated at 12.00 on Sunday, 12th July. More details nearer to the time. More about Missio and the work that they do on their website from where the following extract is taken:

"Since 1922, Missio has been the Catholic Church's official charity for overseas mission. We bring the hope of the Gospel where there is turmoil, poverty and uncertainty in the world, and where the Church is new, young or poor. Missio empowers local people to form and sustain communities of faith and we train and nurture future leaders so that the vital work of the Church in the world can take place."

If any parishioners would like to join the coffee teams, please contact the parish office. The 11.00 a.m. are down to five teams and ideally we would like to recruit three more.

Renewals for the next twelve months are due from 1st April with the first draw in the new financial year taking place on Sunday, 26th April. The annual fee is £60 per annum payable in full by cheque or monthly standing order. In the coming year there will be three prizes each month - £100, £50 and £25 with a bonus draw of a further £100 in December - and members of the Catenian Association will be present at each Mass on the first three weekends of April to accept renewed or new subscriptions. If you currently pay by Standing Order no further action is necessary. Please support this major Parish fund raiser if you possibly can and make it a real 100 Club in 2015/16. Thank you.

February 100 Club winners: £100 - 29 - Conlon family, £50 - 73 - Ron and Lucy Weaver, £25 - 21 - Penny Haslam.

We are very fortunate that, to date we have had a small number of dedicated men and women who regularly clean our church for us, some come after work, others are retired. However, we will be in desperate need of more cleaners to help clean the church in 2015. Currently teams clean once every 7 weeks for about 2-3 hours. Cleaning provides a good work out and is free, save money on expensive gym subscriptions! Please contact the parish office if you can help or need more details.

Are you thinking of becoming a Catholic? Are you supporting your children on the sacramental programme? Have you been away from the church and are nervous about coming back? If you would be interested in the next course starting in November then please contact Fr. John, Ron Weaver, or the parish office. Full programme here.

PRAY FOR THE SICK

Your prayers are requested for the following who are sick: H Starrett , B Shepard, P Harris, F J Smith, G Newton, P Davies, C Busby, E Browne, E Cotter, J Hurst, L Lambert, F Ostrowski, S Clarke, P Lunney, J Fowler, J James, B & D Weaver, T Kirby, N Southey, A Connell, E Stonell, A McCambridge, M Smith, D Spiteri, J Calver, P Selwood, P Dean, J James, J O’Rourke, M Lewandowski, M May, A Davies, N Cahill, Mrs Curzon, B Hunt, J Calnan, C Brown, S Condon., C Burns, C Morgan, E Hawkins, M Starrett, E Batchelor, M Bokhari, K Cashman, R Admans, Sr. Mary Humbert, C B Corpus, Anna Kustra. Myrna Delos Saintos, Michael Jordan Murray, Imelda Cook.

Heavenly Father, source of all healing, visit and heal your servants from all physical and spiritual ailments, through the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Thought for the week:

A hermit said, "All chatter is unnecessary. Nowdays everyone talks but what is neede is action. That is what God wants, not useless talking." (Anonymous)

MARCH

Saturday, 14th March - 7.30 pm - St. Patrick's Family Night. Tickets £12.50 (family), £5.00 (adult), £2.50 (children) now available from the parish office of St. Mary's School or after Sunday Masses.

Sunday, 15th March - After Sunday Masses, Mothering Sunday celebrations from 9.30 am until 11.00 am. £2.50 for coffee and croissant. Please buy tickets in advance, now on sale.

Monday, 16th March - 6.45 pm Youth group.

Tuesday, 17th March - 8.00 pm RCIA talk on "The Role of the Laity",

Friday, 20th March - 10.00 - 11.45 am Coffee morning. £2.00 includes Tea/coffee and home-made cakes. Everyone is welcome.

Saturday, 21st March - 9.00 am First Holy Communion class for children attending non-Catholic schools.

Tuesday, 24th March - 12.00 Monthly lunch

8.00 pm RCIA recap and questions.

APRIL

Sunday, 5th April - After the 11.00 am Mass, drawing of the Easter Raffle. Tckets available from mid-February.

Saturday, 18th April - 9.00 am An opportunity for parents of children preparing for their First Holy Communion to understand more about this Sacrament.

Saturday, 25th April - And now for something completely different, "Carl and Dave's Comedy Magic and Illusion Show". It is suitable for all age groups so put the date in your diaries now. It will be a terrific evening, More about them including a photograph gallery and testimonials of their past performances on their website.

MAY

Saturday, 8th May - 7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start. Ukulele sing along evening with the Haddenham Ukulele Band. Tickets £5.00 from Oonagh or the parish office. More about the band on their website

Saturday, 23rd May - 7.30 pm. Fr. John's Indian Cusine Evening.

JUNE

Saturday, 13th June - Summer Fete at St. Mary's School.

Sunday, 21st June - 12.30pm Father's Day Celebration.

JULY

Sunday, 5th July - The Summer Family Festival.

The John Paul II Centre now has its own website here

SUNDAY COFFEE Come along for a coffee and meet new and old fellow parishioners after 9.00 am and 11.00 am Masses this weekend and every Sunday in the in the main hall downstairs of The John Paul II Centre. Come along...all welcome!

Saturday 6.00 pm 142
Sunday 9.00 am 214
Sunday 11.00 am 257
Total: 613 devout Christian souls

Donations of wool for blankets for children in Thailand are needed. Please deliver to Ann Swanson or to Sonia Drury or to the back of the church. Thank you for all the wool donated so far

The votive lights in Our Lady's Chapel are now £1 each. Those in front of the statues of the Sacred Heart and St. Joseph are now 50p. Please put your donations in the wall collection box next to Our Lady's Chapel.

Traidcraft is a Christian response to poverty, established in 1979 to fight poverty through trade. By buying these products you can help craft workers and farmers across Africa, Asia and Latin America to build a better future for themselves, for their families and for their communities. As well as goods on the stall you can order additional items through the catalogue, or buy online at Tradecraft For further information, please contact Ann Poole. Please also visit the Traidcraft pages on this website.

"My children, our love is not just to be words or mere talk, but something real and active." 1 John 3: 18.

Fr. John would like to meet all parents requesting the Sacrament of Baptism for their children. An application form is available for download here or can be collected from the Parish Office. Please e-mail Fr. John or the Parish Office to arrange an appointment.

If you are planning to get married either within The Parish of the Immaculate Conception or elsewhere, please use one of the forms below to make contact with the Parish Office. Thank you.

Sacrament of Matrimony application form (PDF file will open in a new window)

'Out of parish' Sacrament of Matrimony application form (PDF file will open in a new window)

BATTHULA CARE TRUST

This is a charity started by Rev. Fr. John Batthula to raise funds to help poor families in India. The funds are used for a wide range of activities such as building homes for a Leper colony, purchasing books and educational equipment for impoverished schools, helping the aged and much more. More on their website.

PRINTED BULLETIN NOTICES

Please note that the deadline for notices to be included in the weekly bulletin is 3.00 pm of the Thursday of each week.

The piety stall will now be available once a month in the porch after 9.00 am & 11.00 am Mass. Volunteers are requested to help run the stall after 6.00 pm Mass on Saturday evenings and 11.00 am mass on Sundays. More volunteers are urgently needed to help run the stall. Please contact the parish office if you can help.

MISSION BOXES/APF

Thank you to all the red box holders. Please remember to regularly empty your boxes and deliver the contents to the Parish Office or to the welcomers at the Sunday Masses. Please remember to include your name when making your donation. Empty boxes can be found in the church porch. More about the work of the APF here.

MASS INTENTIONS

Please use the Mass offering envelopes at the back of the church. These can be posted through the door of the presbytery or given to the welcomers. Please be sure to give plenty of notice if specific dates are require

Meets every Thursday between 8.00 and 9.30 pm to reflect on the forhcoming Sunday readings. For further information, please contact Nick or Clare StJohn.

The parish office is located on the first floor of The John Paul II Centre. If the main doors are closed, then please press the buzzer located near the doors and wait for a member of staff to respond. When you exit the building please ensure that the door is fully closed. Office hours are 9.00 am to 3.00 pm, Monday to Friday. The telephone number is 01869 253 277.

Meets every Thursday from 9.15 am to 10.45 am in the Presentation Convent during term-time. Come along or Contact the parish office. More details

Do you have any old photographs of parish life, the church (Priory Road or The Causeway), St. Mary’s School, etc. that could go into a parish archive? If so, please could you deliver these to the parish office marked with your name. These will be scanned and returned to you. Thank you. A selection of older photographs can be seen here

This website has been set up by a parishioner. Please take a look on therosary3.com which takes you to a quiet place within; away from the noise and din of life, and all its distractions into the presence of God.