Parish Newsletter, week beginning Sunday, 19th April 2015.

Third Sunday of Easter.

Mass and sevice timesThe Prayer PagePast weeks' newslettersMinistries and rotas for the next two weeks.

This week:

  • Fron Fr. John
  • Heating Appeal
  • News
  • Prayer
  • Forthcoming Parish Events in The John Paul II Centre
  • Mass Attendance Last Week
  • Regular Features
  • From me

     

     

    When we are struggling with our faith we might be tempted to think that so long as we are 'good people' that will sufice. So what sets 'good people' and Christians apart?

    The other disciples were really no so very different from Doubting Thomas. When they saw Jesus in their midst, they took some convinvcing that it really was Jesus and not a ghost that had come to visit them. The Gospel outlines three pieces of proof that Jesus uses to convince them that he has really risen from the dead. He shows them the marks on his hands and feet, he invites them to touch and check that he is flesh and blood, and he shares a meal with them. But it is only when Jesus opens their minds to understanding the scriptures that they come to believe in him. By interpreting what has happened, the risen Christ draws the disciples out of their confusion. Amongst some of his famous last words to them, were words of encoragement to go and preach his message and a reminder of prophecies fulfilled and promises made.

    Being a Christian today isn't easy, and simply accepting the Jesus we have grown up with sometimes isn't enough to sustain us. Understanding the difference between living life simply as a good person, and living life as a Christian comes of believing in the risen Jesus. Very often a good person is simply someone who avoids doing anything bad. As Christians we are continually striving to follow Christ's example. Today, through prayer, scripture debate, and putting faith into action, we continually work for the same emlightenment and understanding that Jesus gave his early disciples.

     

     

    Parish Handbook cover

    PARISH HANDBOOK ON SALE A mine of useful information about the parish only £5.00 a copy available from the "Parish Information" display in the church porch or from the parish office.
    CHURCH HEATING

    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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    PARISH NEWS

    SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMME - RECONCILIATION (CONFESSION)

    reconciliationThis affects children who are currently in Year 2 in primary school. Classes of preparation will take place on five Saturdays from the 21st of March - details on this website 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)

     

     

    EWAN GORDON
    Will be running a number of Marathons this year, including the London Marathon in April in memory of the late Thomas Laurie who died last year.  He will and also be running from John O'Groats to Lands End from 4th May to 14th June, a total of 1,050 miles over 42 days, a Marathon a day. He will achieve all this dressed as Forrest Gump, you may have spotted him already as an altar server!   A celebration in June will be held to mark his return. Ewan is fundraising for  four Charities including  Helen & Douglas House and ROSY.  If you would like to sponsor his efforts please complete the form on the notice board at the back of church
    SKILLED TRADESPEOPLE WANTED

    We are always in need of skilled tradespeople to help with the maintenance and upkeep of the church. If you are a skilled tradesperson who can volunteer to do work and save costs for your church, please add your details to the list on the notice board in the church porch. Thank you.

    SPRING LUNCH

    Many thanks to all those who organised, prepared, helped and attended the most receint monthly lunch. £570.83 was raised towards parish funds. The next lunch will be at 12.00 on Tuesday, 28th April.

    PHOENIX SINGERS

    "Voices of Light" concert at 8.00 pm on the 18th of April at the Church of The Immaculate Conception featuring highlights from Haydn's "Creation". Tickets £10.00, under 16s free, from Richard Evans or via the Pheonix Singers website.

    SECOND COLLECTION FOR LOURDES

    The second collection this weekend will be in aid of the Blessed George Napier School youth who will be going on the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes later this year. Please support them if you can - many of them find the experience spiritually fulfilling

    CLERGY TRAINING FUND

    The second collection on the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of May will be for the Archdiocese of Birmingham Clregy Training Fund. Please support this as best you can and continue to pray for vocations to the consecrated life.

    LIBRARY OF CATHOLIC BOOKS

    The next meeting will be at 11.00 am on Saturday, 25th April at St. Philip's Hall, Holy Trinity Church, Hethe, OX27 8AW when Dr. Timothy Kelly will speak on, "Do you take offence at this? (John 6: 61), The Incarnation and the Sacrament of His Life Giving Flesh".

    YOUTH DAY

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

    NEW LIFE FOR YOUR UNWANTED ROSARIES

    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

    ANNUAL MISSIO MASS

    Missio logoThe 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.

    100 CLUB

    100 clubRenewals 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.

    March 100 Club winners: £100 - 84 - Christine Tett, £50 - 63 - Elizabeth Green, £25 - 19 - Richard Evans.

    CHURCH CLEANING

    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

    PRAYER

    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, 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, 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, G.O'Byrne.

    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: "Watch for anger of the body: let your body be self-controlled. Hurt not with the body, but use the body well. Watch for anger of words,: let your words be self-controlled. Hurt not with words,but use your words well. Watch for anger of the mind: let your mind be self-controlled. Hurt not with the mind but use the mind well." The Dhammapada.

    FORTHCOMING PARISH EVENTS IN THE JOHN PAUL II CENTRE.

    APRIL

    Monday, 20th April - 6.45 pm Youth Group Meeting.

     

    carl and daveSaturday, 25th April - And now for something completely different, "Carl and Dave's Comedy Magic and IllusionReminder 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.

     

    Tuesday, 28th April - 12.00 onwards. Monthly lunch. If you have not tried one yet, why not? Two courses for a very modest £4.00. These are proving very popular, especially with diners from outside the Catholic community.

    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 now on sale from Oonagh Hawke or the parish office. More about the band on their website

    Saturday, 23rd May - 7.30 pm. Fr. John's Indian Cusine Evening. Tickets now available. It is another occasion which provides an opportunity for us to come together as a family. I look forward to your support. Let us repeat the success that this event was last year.

    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 and presentation of Confirmation and First Holy Communion certificates.

    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!

    MASS ATTENDANCE LAST WEEKEND

    Saturday 8.00 pm 99
    Sunday 9.00 am 150
    Sunday 11.00 am 178
    Total: 427 devout Christian souls

    REGULAR FEATURES

     

    LEGACIES AND LAST WILL
    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.
    VOTIVE LIGHTS

    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. For health and safety reasons, we request that only those candles provided by the parish are used. Thank you for your co-operation.

    PRESENTATION ASSOCIATES

    Meet on the first Wednesday of each month.

    TRAIDCRAFT

    tradecraftTraidcraft 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.

    BAPTISMAL PREPARATION

    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.

    PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

    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
    Batthula Trust logio

    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.

    PIETY STALL

    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
    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

    WEEKLY SCRIPTURE GROUP

    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 or the parish office.

    PARISH OFFICE

    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.

    BABY AND TODDLER GROUP

    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

    WANTED

    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

    ROSARY WEBSITE

    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.