Sunday, 20 January 2013

Please keep up to date and well informed through the bulletin and across the web site about all matters which concern us in and about the Parish .

Please click here to reach the prayers for the sick and faithful departed.

The Hands On Project (East Kilbride) See newsletter on noticeboard for services offered and for Volunteering Opportunities.

Note new phone number 0141 641 5169.

Progressio: a Catholic organisation sending highly-skilled people to work with grassroots organisations in developing countries, are asking you to fill in one of their postcards (at the back of the church) to ask Nick Clegg to represent your views at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

South Lanarkshire Foodbank:  Every day people in the UK go hungry for reasons ranging from redundancy to receiving an unexpected bill on a low income.

Twenty one percent of families in East Kilbride live below the poverty line.

One source of help is the Christian charity, Trussell Trust, whose food banks provide a minimum of three days emergency food and support to people experiencing crisis in the UK.

A meeting was held at St John’s Church, Duke Street, Hamilton on  Thursday 12th July, to discuss setting up a foodbank in collaboration with other churches in South Lanarkshire.  See the Trussell Trust letter on the noticeboard for more details.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”

Lent and Easter

February 13th, Ash Wednesday;

March 31st, Easter Sunday.

The Beginning Experience: there is a special heartache for those who find themselves single again through separation, divorce or widowhood.

The Church meets this heartache through the Beginning Experience which offers a Weekend Away for a life of change at the Xaverian Centre, Coatbridge from 12th-14th October.

Contact Ros on 0131 669 0003 or email roz25@hotmail.co.uk

MORNING MASS DURING LENT

“In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.” (Mark 1:35) 

In this Year of Faith, taking a lead from this passage of the Gospel, Mass will be celebrated at 7:00am (finishing 7.20) each weekday morning from Ash Wednesday (13th February) until the Wednesday of Holy Week.

Please consider this as a positive Lenten spiritual exercise and pilgrimage with others in community through darkness into light.

Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire (VASLAN) supports and develops community action within the voluntary sector.

They act as a point of contact for those seeking volunteering opportunities and are actively looking for people to provide car transport within their local community. 

Please eMail teedaboyd@vaslan.org.uk or phone 01698 300 390.

The greatest source is from within Christian Churches – Deo Gratias.

Sunday morning Mass is broadcast each week at 9.30am on RTÉ Radio 1 (Long Wave 252, online at www.rte.ie/radio, or Virgin TV Channel 917)

Holidays of Obligation

Thursday May 9th, Ascension;

Thursday August 15th, Assumption of Our Lady;

Friday 1st November, All Saints;

Wednesday 25th December, Christmas Day.

Throughout Lent, Mass will be celebrated in St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School EVERY MORNING at 8:20am (finishing 8:40am)

Burns Night Parish Entertainment and Ceilidh on Friday 25th January at 6:30pm for 7:00pm prompt.

1. Chaired by raconteour Robert Nimmo from Wishaw, with a Burns Supper meal served at table.
   

2. A costumed Fr. Danny Rooney from Chapelhall reciting Holy Wullie’s Prayer.
   

3. Burns’ songs and poetry being sung and recited by High School pupils.
   

4. The Toast to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns proposed by Fr. Ness
   

5. The evening will end with ceilidh dancing to the music of Eriskay Lilt.
   

Please support this parish family social event - there is something for all ages.

The last social event until Easter!

Tickets (£10) available from the stall, from Fr Ness, at the Thursday Coffee morning, or phone Christine on 232 912 or email bulletin@sbek.org

TESS MURRAY

Tess Murray: a Mass of Thanksgiving will be offered for the parish in appreciation of the kindness and support she has received from this community following the recent death of her husband, Jim.

BAPTISM MASS

A written invitation has been sent to the families of all children baptised in our church in the last full calendar year, to participate at a special Mass on Sunday 27th January 2013 at 3:00pm.

“Expectant” parents, awaiting the birth of children in 2013 are also warmly welcomed.

A print of the invitation is displayed on the Notice Board. 

Parish Holiday Group visit to the Lake District with hiking and climbing: Friday 5th – Monday 8th April.

See the noticeboard for details.

Seminarian Bruce McPhail has received a warm welcome from our parishioners and has experienced already many aspects of priestly pastoral life and more experience will follow this week.

Before leaving on 26th January he will speak about this experience at St Bride’s.

Special Collections

January 6th       

February 17th

March 10th

April 21st

May 12th

June 2nd

June 30th

October 20th

Date to be confirmed

Justice and Peace

St Margaret’s Hospice

Papal and Episcopal Charities (incl SCIAF)

Ecclesiastical Students’ Fund

Apostolate of Communications

Apostolate of Life

Peter’s Pence

Propagation of the Faith

Missio Scotland

Poverty and Homelessness Action Week (26th January to 3rd February) asks “Who is to blame for rising levels of poverty and homelessness in the UK today” and raises the concern that many are blaming the victims.

To find out more about this year’s campaign “Can you cast the first stone?” go to www.actionweek.org.uk

Care Homes: Mass Mass will be celebrated in Acorn Park on Wednesday 23rd January at 2:00pm.

Western Catholic Calendar 2013:  Copies are on sale in the stall, price £3.00.

My Day by Day Books (90p) of daily Mass Scripture passages help us to grasp the very significant continuity in the daily readings.

The diaries placed beside the booklets can be taken free of charge. 

PARISH LIBRARY AND READING ROOM

A new Parish Library and Reading Room will be created in the Prayer Room as a lasting legacy of the Year of Faith.

A meeting will be held in the Prayer Room this Sunday 20th January at 3:00pm for those anxious to be involved in this project.

St Kenneth’s Confirmation:  we congratulate the children on their celebration of this Sacrament last Sunday and we thank our altar servers for their participation despite the lack of an MC.

Once again, we affirm Mrs. O’Hanlon and the whole staff of the school in their vocation as teachers in a Catholic  school

Fernhill School: S1 Entrance examination Monday 21st January.

Limited number of assisted places available. (0141-634-2674 www.fernhillschool.co.uk)

St Kenneth’s First Reconciliation and First Communion:

Monday 21st January:  Meeting for all parents in the school at 7pm, to be addressed by Fr. Ness.

Sunday 27th January: all children preparing for each of these Sacraments are asked to attend the 9.30am Mass with their parents. This is the Commitment Mass for parents and children engaged in First Holy Communion and will be followed by registration of all children with our parish for Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion.

At a meeting of priests last Thursday two comments by parents were reported with dismay: “What has the (celebration of) the Sacraments got to do with the Parish – this is between us and the School”; AND “Why can’t my child drop RE and spend that time better in other subjects?”

S2 “Options” Retreats for St Andrew’s and St Bride’s: will begin in the Prayer Room, the Guild Room and the Parish Office from 9am-1pm on both Monday 21st January and Friday 25th January.

The Annual Education Mass for Motherwell Diocese will be celebrated at Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral, Motherwell on Thursday 31st January at 7:00pm.

Catholic Education Sunday: 3rd February. The High School and Primary Schools will be represented by staff and students at the two Sunday morning Masses in our Parish.

There will be a special collection at all Masses to support the work of the Scottish Catholic Education Service.

Rio 2013 World Youth Day: Glasgow University Chaplain Fr John Keenan will lead a pilgrimage to Rio from 23rd – 28th July 2013.  Any young parishioner who would like to join in this international meeting of young people with the Pope should make themselves known to Fr Ness – some sponsorship initiatives may be supported by the Parish.  www.Rio2013.com

Scotland’s Rio:  Closer to home, Scotland's Rio will take place in July 2013 to run in parallel to the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.  Young people aged 14-25 years of age are invited to participate in the event that will take place in Stirling University Campus on 25th-28th July 2013.  See www.cyss.org.uk.

Booking forms will be out soon.

The World Day of Prayer celebrated here on 1st March at 1:30pm: All around the world every year Christians of many traditions and all ages celebrate a common day of prayer on the first Friday in March.

Our Parish is hosting this year’s service:  the theme is “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”.

The week of prayer for Christian Unity runs from 17th— 25th January. This year clergy from all denominations in the Village area of East Kilbride plan a later series of Services to pray together that all may be one -  which is Christ’s will.

Dates for these Services will be decided at a meeting of local clergy, including Fr. Ness, to be held on 24th January.

Use of car park: police were called twice last week to the chapel house because of the unauthorised use of the car park by persons attending courses at Athol House who saw no reason not to park at the chapel house, giving rise to a threatened Breach of the Peace, and worse.

Reluctantly we will erect signage on the boundary wall.

Here is the reason, given last Sunday by Pope Benedict in his homily, why we will celebrate Mass next Sunday at 3:00pm for all children baptised in our Church in 2012: 

1. In the sacrament of Baptism is expressed the living and active presence of the Holy Spirit who, enriching the Church with new children, vitalises and develops her. Parents and godparents witness to their faith by asking for baptism for the children, so that they may be born to new life in Christ and become part of the community of believers. In baptism children will be deeply united with Jesus for ever, immersed in the mystery of his power, of his might, namely, in the mystery of his death which is a source of life so as to share in his resurrection, to be reborn to new life.
   

2. The seed of the theological virtues, faith, hope and charity, sown by God, that are planted in our hearts in Baptism through the power of the Holy Spirit, must always be nourished by the word of God and by the sacraments so that these Christian virtues may grow and attain full maturity, until they make each one of us a true witness of the Lord.
   

Let us pray that all parents will apply these words of the Pope in their family life.

East Mains Baptist Church: Dr. John Blanchard, Christian Writer, will speak on Creation and Evolution at 7:00pm on Saturday 26th January, at their Church on Maxwell Drive. 

BEREAVEMENT GROUP

Bereavement Group meeting on Wednesday 30th January at 7:00pm in the Prayer Room.

SCIAF DONATION

A substantial donation for SCIAF has again been received from one of our parish families.

Deo Gratias.

St Aloysius College: Entrance assessment P2- S3 Saturday 26th January at 9.30am (0141-332-3190 www.staloysius.org).

Scottish Catholic Observer: the Observer has excelled in presenting Catholic teaching and features on Moral Theology, Spirituality, Catholic Social Teaching and Liturgy - giving all of us the chance to deepen our knowledge.  

BAPTISM MASS

Here is the reason, given last Sunday by Pope Benedict in his homily, why we will celebrate Mass next Sunday at 3:00pm for all children baptised in our Church in 2012: 

1. In the sacrament of Baptism is expressed the living and active presence of the Holy Spirit who, enriching the Church with new children, vitalises and develops her. Parents and godparents witness to their faith by asking for baptism for the children, so that they may be born to new life in Christ and become part of the community of believers. In baptism children will be deeply united with Jesus for ever, immersed in the mystery of his power, of his might, namely, in the mystery of his death which is a source of life so as to share in his resurrection, to be reborn to new life.
   

2. The seed of the theological virtues, faith, hope and charity, sown by God, that are planted in our hearts in Baptism through the power of the Holy Spirit, must always be nourished by the word of God and by the sacraments so that these Christian virtues may grow and attain full maturity, until they make each one of us a true witness of the Lord.
   

Let us pray that all parents will apply these words of the Pope in their family life.

DAWN AND SOPHIE MORRIS

Dawn Morris, from Calderwood Baptist Church and 3 year old Sophie at McKillop Gardens.

Many were impressed by the joyful Christian witness offered by Dawn here last Sunday and by her desire to bring that same joy to other young people.

Sophie’s mum asked Fr. Ness to bless Sophie, her beautiful daughter, whose dad has been persuaded to allow her to be enrolled in a Catholic School so that she will have the benefit of a faith education and a Catholic ethos in her life from childhood.

Sophie (wisdom), a first child late in life for her mum, stepped forward holding out her hands to receive God’s blessing with the same joy filled expression as Dawn held while talking to us of her faith.

Gift Aid Scheme: once again we ask families who contribute regularly to the Sunday collections and who pay tax to enrol in the Gift Aid Scheme. We need to supplement those who are in the Scheme because this year we may lose up to twenty members from it.

Those who contribute by Standing Order will no longer have envelopes allocated to them — only if specifically requested.

SACRAMENTAL REFLECTION IN OUR TIME

As our parents and schools help make our children and young people ready to receive their next sacraments, please click here to read a specially prepared reflection.

Entertainment at The Hub Cafe: Ena Brown from the West Kirk has sent across the events list for The Hub for January and February. Looks like another great programme. Please click here for details.