Parish Newsletter, week beginning Sunday, 28th June 2015.

Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles.

This week:

CHURCH HEATING AND WINDOWS FUND TO DATE

Work to install the new heating system will commence during the week beginning the 20th of July.

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Tell us about yourself and how you would want to help and get involved in parish life by means of this simple, easy to fill in form. All information provided will be kept confidential and will not be commuinicated to any third party. Please return these to the parish office.

The Second Collection this weekend will be for Peter's Pence. The is the annual contribution of Catholics worldwide to the support of the Holy See. It was revived in 1860 by Pope Pius IX after the loss of the Papal States. Its origins can be traced back to England in 787 when a tax of one penny was levied on all but the poorest families and given to the pope.

Next Sunday, 5th July, the 11.00 am Mass will be followed by a BBQ, Indian food, games, refreshments and the presentation of certificates for those who have received the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion and I would like to invite the whole parish and school community to join in. The church car park will be closed that day so please try to park in the town if you are coming to Mass that day. If you would like to help, please contact the parish office.

Chlidren who have made their First Holy Commuion and who wish ro become an altar server please speak to Deacon Michael. Remember that you need to make a commitment to serve regularly at the weekend Masses.There will be a training day for all new altar servers on Saturday, 11th July at 11.00 am. It is important that all new altar servers are present in order to learn the basics of how to serve at the altar.

Located in the former Lady Chapel this will be open for thirty minutes before and thirty minutes after each Friday Mass and at every weekend Mass. A variety cards, rosary beads, prayer cards, and a newly arrived stock of CTS books, etc are available. You may also leave your Mass offering envelopes

We politely request that parishioners only take their own newspspers, that is those that have been marked with their name. If you would like to place a regular order for a Catholic newspwper, please contact the parish office

If you are a parishioner who currently comes into contact with children or vulnerable adults as part of your voluntary work in the parish , for example with the youth group, children's liturgy, sacramental programme catechists, baby and toddler group or as an Extraodinary Minister taking Holy Communion to the sick and housebound, etc.,and have not been DBS (CRB) checked, please contact our safeguarding reprasentative, Elizabeth Green, right, as soon as possible. E-mail.

This 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)

A welcome home and Independence Day party will take place on Saturday, 4th July in The John Paul II Centre to celebrate the completion of the run. Please add your names to the list at the back of the church (for catering reasons) or speak to Nicky Blacker at the Masses on the 27th and 28th of June. Tickets £5.00 for adults and £4.00 for children willinclude an American style supper. There will be a raffle, tombola and entertainment. All money raised will go towards Helen & Douglas House Hospice, and Rosy, which supples nursing for sick children in heir homes. Ewan's efforts have made the front page of Bicester Advertiser. Article here and also here

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.

If you would like to dedicate a hymn book in memory of a deceased loved one, please contact the parish office. Each dedication costs £ 6.00 and the hymn books remain in the church.

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

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. Mgr. James Cronin, the National Director of Missio will be the principal celebrant at this Mass. Local secretaries from other parishes in the diocese will be joining us for thie Mass which is followed by a presentation of the work of Missio in different parts of the world.If any former promoters or any parishioners can help with refreshments, please contact the parish office. Please could all mission box holders empty or return their boxes to the parish office or to the welcomers. Please remember to include your name when delivering your donation. Empty boxes can be found at the back of the church if required. If you are aware of a friend or neighbour who may have a box that has not been emptied for a while, please encourage them to bring it to the parish office. The summer issue of "Mission Today" is now available in the church porch. More about Missio and the work that they do on their website

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.

May winners: £100 - 40 - Kathleen Cashman, £ 50 - 29 - Conlon family, £ 25 - 16 - Eileen Penhallow.

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.

PRAY FOR THE SICK

Your prayers are requested for the following who are sick: M Wallace, M Smyth, G Marchant, C Whitehead, B Hunt, B Shepard, P Harris, F J Smith, G Newton, P Davies, C Busby, M Smith, E Browne, E Cotter, J Hurst, L Lambert, F Ostrowski, S Clarke, P Lunney, J Fowler, J James, B & D Weaver, P Dean, N Southey, E Stonell, A McCambridge, J Calver, P Selwood, J James, J O’Rourke, C Burns, M Lewandowski, M May, A Davies, N Cahill, Mrs Curzon, J Calnan, A Kustra, C Brown, C Morgan, E Hawkins, M Starrett, E Batchelor, M Bokhari, K Cashman, R Admans, Sr. Mary Humbert, C B Corpus, M Delos Saintos, M J Murray, B & I Cook., G O’Byrne, Amal Blakeley, Paul Mears.

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

CYCLE OF PRAYER

During Ordinary Time (summer) up to September, we are asked to pray for these intentions: a deeper understanding between Christians and Jews, those who suffer persecution, oppression and denial of human rights, Europe, human life, seafarers.

JUNE

Monday, 29th June - 7.15pm onwards, Youth Group in The John Paul II Centre.

JULY

Saturday, 4th July ~ American themed welcome back party of Ewan Gordon, aka Forrest Gump. See above.

Sunday, 5th July - The Summer Family Festival and presentation of Confirmation and First Holy Communion certificates. BBQ, Indian food, games, refreshments and the presentation of certificates for those who have received the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion and I would like to invite the whole parish and school community to join in. The church car park will be closed that day so please try to park in the town if you are coming to Mass that day. If you would like to help, please contact the parish office.

SEPTEMBER

Sunday, 20th September ~ International Mass and shared lunch.

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 8.00 pm 98
Sunday 9.00 am 180
Sunday 11.00 am 193
Total 471 devout Christian souls

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. Please also see the item about the annual Missio Mass above.

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 required.

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.

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.