The Parish of Our Lady and St Patrick Oldham

THIRD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
WEEK: JANUARY 26TH - FEBRUARY 1ST 2025

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

“He has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor…recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Terry Cummins, Elizabeth Flanagan, Margaret Emsis
LATELY DEAD: Victoria Forgetto, Mateus Manuel Alfredo, Maria Moreno, Eileen Killeen, Graeme Matthew Park,
ANNIVERSARIES: Joe Rimmer, Michael McGladdery, Terry Mills

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £662.83

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £20.00, NA (for use of the meeting room) £30.00.
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

If anyone needs the Bank account details to set up Direct Debit payments, please contact Father Phil.

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

CARITAS SUNDAY
Today, 26th January, is Caritas Sunday. This annual occasion is a great opportunity to celebrate work of our diocesan charity, Caritas Diocese of Salford. To find out more, please visit https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on Saturday 8th March at 10.00am.

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY (HMD) takes place each year on 27th January. Holocaust Memorial Day is a day that we put aside to come together to remember, to learn about the Holocaust, Nazi Persecution and the genocides that followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur, in the hope that there may be one day in the future with no genocide.
This Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. ‘For a better future’ is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2025. We hope that HMD 2025 can be an opportunity for people to come together, learn both from and about the past, and take actions to make a better future for all.
You are invited to join us at Oldham’s Holocaust Memorial Day commemorative event on Monday, 27 January 2025 at The Radclyffe School, Hunt Lane, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 0LS. 9:00am – 10:30am. The event will start at 9:00am prompt. (All guests are requested to present themselves at the school reception by 8:45am due to safeguarding procedures. You will then be escorted to the school hall by a member of staff). The event will close at 10:30am. If you would like to attend, please contact Virbai Kara, Stronger Communities Service, Virbai.kara@oldham.gov.uk

LENTEN STATION MASSES FOR 2025
The Lenten Station Masses for 2025 will begin on 11th March at St. Jospeh’s, Mossley. Then, on 18th March, we will be in St. Herbert’s, Chadderton. On 25th March, we will be at Ss. Aidan and Oswald’s, Royton. On the 1st April, we will be at St. Anne’s in Ashton. Then, finally, on 8th April, we will be at St Edward’s, Lees. All these Masses will be at 7.00pm.

RACIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY
The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales mark Racial Justice Sunday on 16th February this year. The Churches Together in Britain and Ireland mark the day a week before on 9th February, The Catholic Association for Racial Justice, suggests, therefore that we focus on racial justice for the whole week (from 9th – 16th). The theme for the CTBI resources is “A coat of many colours”. Some of you will know of this phrase from the musical ‘Joseph and his amazing technicolour Dreamcoat’. The suggestion of the theme is that it’s the many colours which bring the enjoyment and the life. I suggest that this parish enjoys this reality.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Fr. Callum, who organises this programme, has informed us that it is being carried out this year in both St. Edward’s Church, Lees and St. Damian’s High School. The programme will begin on Monday 17th February – time to be announced (St. Edward’s Church, Lees) or on Tuesday 18th February at 3.30-5pm (St. Damian’s). If there are young people who want to be on the programme, you can sign up at the first meeting. There will be seven sessions in all, the last one being a reconciliation service. The confirmations will take place at 7pm on 4th June at St. Mary’s Failsworth, or a 7pm. 5th June at St. Edward’s, Lees. Young people of Year 8 age group and older can register.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Monday, 27th January St. Angela Merici. She was born in the north of Italy c1470, entered the Third Order of St. Francis and founded the Ursulines, devoted to the education of poor girls. She died in 1540. Today, 27th January, is also Holocaust Memorial Day.
Tuesday, 28th January St. Thomas Aquinas. He was born in Aquino c1225. Becoming a Dominican, he studied at Cologne under St. Albert the Great. An outstanding thinker, writer and teacher, he died in 1274.
Wednesday, 29th January, is the beginning of the Lunar New Year. Remember to pray for and congratulate parishioners from Far East Asia.
Friday, 31st January St. John Bosco. He was born near Turin in 1815, was ordained priest and laboured to improve the education of young people, founding, in 1859, a religious congregation, called the Salesians, for this purpose.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today’s Gospel is a split reading, starting at the beginning of the first chapter and then jumping to the fourth. The first section is addressed to someone called ‘Theophilus’. Is this Luke’s patron or is it anyone who would claim to be a lover of God? The Greek word ‘Theophilus’ simply translates as “lover of God”.
Luke tells us too that he has got his information for his account from eyewitnesses, and so, he says, it is trustworthy.
Then, our reading jumps to Luke’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Yes, Luke has already, at this stage, written about the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Then, we are told that Jesus goes out into the desert to fast for forty days. Clearly, there, he thinks about how he should carry out his ministry and he’s tempted either simply to provide for the material needs of people, or to perform showstopping miracles, or to impel people to believe in him. Having been tempted in this way, he then returns to his hometown of Nazareth, a tiny place of only about 100 – 150 people where everyone would have known him. There, he sets out his stall by referring, as he will do on several other occasions, to a passage of the Prophet Isaiah. It’s actually a conflation of two passages (Ch. 61 & Ch. 58 v.6). There he speaks of the return from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem. The people who had been allowed to stay in Jerusalem by the Babylonians would, at this stage, have been desperately poor and the people who had been in exile would have known oppression. Nehemiah writes about this same period in the first reading today. The opening of the book of the Law by Ezra the priest is echoed by Jesus’ opening of the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue. As the people who have returned from exile, spoken of in the first reading, are caught up in a powerful moment of being able to be fully themselves again (following the Law), so Jesus has his listeners enthralled as he sits down after reading the text, clearly with the intention of saying something in explanation. What he says is equally powerful: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” His listeners wouldn’t have needed any further explanation. He was talking about himself being the one to bring true liberation to the people, to enable a reversal of status and the removal of shame. This is a message of liberation, of a non-violent revolution, when people are re-humanised, and are no longer, in modern day parlance, simply consumers or computer-generated statistics, but people of individuality and great dignity. Surely, a Christian is called to join in this mission.
Jesus’ listeners, as you would see if you read the next few verses, were so questioning. How can someone we all know be capable of this? We would do well to recognise that God often works through the familiar and the ordinary, through the people we know.

MASS IN CANTONESE BY ARCHBISHOP SAVIO HON
On Sunday 2nd February at 2.30pm we are privileged to have another visit to this church from Archbishop Savio Hon who works in the diplomatic service for the Holy See. He will say Mass in Cantonese. We will welcome many Hong Kong people for Mass that day.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)
WEEK: JANUARY 19TH - 25TH 2025

Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

“On this mountain, for all peoples, the Lord is preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of succulent food, of well-strained wines.”

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £1081.70

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Candles £619.61; Charismatic Group donation £499.01
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

If anyone needs the Bank account details to set up Direct Debit payments, please contact Father Phil.

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

CARITAS SUNDAY
Sunday 26th January is Caritas Sunday. This annual occasion is a great opportunity to celebrate work of our diocesan charity, Caritas Diocese of Salford. To find out more, please visit https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on Saturday 8th March at 10.00am.

OCTAVE OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY (18TH – 25TH JANUARY)
The guiding biblical text for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 comes from John 11:26, “Do you believe this?” The organizers (from a monastic community of brothers and sisters in Bose, Northern Italy) want to recognise that this year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea, near Constantinople in 325 AD. This commemoration provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians, as expressed in the Creed formulated during this Council; a faith that remains alive and fruitful in our days. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 offers an invitation to draw on this shared heritage and to enter more deeply into the faith that unites all Christians, and to pray together for that full unity which is Christ’s will.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Fr. Callum, who organises this programme, has informed us that it is being carried out this year in both Newman College and St. Damian’s High School. The programme will begin on Monday 17th February at 3.30pm-5pm (Newman College) or on Tuesday 18th February at 3.30-5pm (St. Damian’s). If there are young people who don’t go to either of these schools who want to be on the programme, it is planned to do a further series of meetings. There will be seven sessions in all, the last one being a reconciliation service. The confirmations will take place at 7pm on 4th June at St. Mary’s Failsworth, or a 7pm. 5th June at St. Edward’s, Lees. Young people of Year 8 age group and older can register. Forms for registering are not available yet, but I will contact Fr. Callum this week for these forms.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Monday, 20th January - St. Fabian - He became Bishop of Rome in 236. He remained steadfast when the Emperor Decius began another persecution and died a martyr’s death.
Also on Monday - St. Sebastian, a native of Milan, was martyred in Rome, his tomb on the Via Appia becoming a place of pilgrimage and giving his name to the catacombs
Tuesday, 21st January - St. Agnes – She was martyred in Rome at the age of 12/13 c 300.
Wednesday, 22nd January - St Vincent- He was a deacon from Saragossa in Spain. He died in the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian.
Friday, 24th January - St Francis de Sales – He was born into a noble family in Annecy in 1597. He was ordained a priest and worked strenuously for the Church by distributing printed essays on the Faith. He became Bishop of Geneva and is patron saint of journalists and writers.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today, we focus on the sign that Jesus gave at the marriage feast at Cana. This is from the account given by the evangelist, John. For him, it’s this sign that marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, not his Baptism in the Jordan. According to John, the marriage feast at Cana takes place before Jesus sets off to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. It seems that it was only as he started his return journey from Jerusalem that he travelled northeast to the River Jordan, where he was baptised by John.
Like the other evangelists, John sees this entry into public ministry as telling us so much about Jesus, but to be able to understand what is being said, we must be aware of the Old Testament. The first reading today is one of the passages that help to explain the event. There, as well as in the writing of the Prophet Hosea (2:21), we hear of the Lord God being likened to a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride, the people of Israel. Earlier, in Isaiah (25:6), we had also been told of God providing for his people a banquet “of succulent food, of well-strained wines.” Jesus would have been very much aware of these scriptural passages and is surely saying something about himself through the sign he gave at Cana. It’s he who is the bridegroom (God himself) and he invites us to that heavenly banquet where we will receive a full measure, pressed down, and flowing over.
There’s also a more subtle allusion to another scriptural passage. We hear of Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:10-19), telling the people that God would descend to them on the third day. The evangelist John tells us specifically (though the three words which begin the chapter in John’s Gospel, “Three days later,” are for some reason excluded from the text chosen for today), that this event took place ‘on the third day’, suggesting the presence of God coming down to his people.
Jesus’ use of the term “woman” to speak to his mother on this occasion, might seem harsh to the modern ear, but John begins the account of Jesus’ public ministry with Jesus using this title and he will conclude with Jesus, on the cross, using the same title as he leaves his mother in John’s care. John clearly understands Jesus’ use of this term as referring to Mary as the new Eve, the mother of all believers. Notably, in the story, when Jesus has seemed to rebuke her, she simply demonstrates her complete trust and says to the attendants, “Do whatever he tells you.” It’s that trust with which she engenders trust that will be the invitation to the eternal banquet.

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD (YEAR C)
WEEK: JANUARY 12TH - 18TH 2025

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Terry Cummins, Elizabeth Flanagan, Margaret Williamson, Margaret Emsis
LATELY DEAD: Joseph McParland, Jim Bowker, Teresa McGarrigle, Anghel Alina, Win Powell, Jane Lord, Michael O’Rourke, Edward Donovan
ANNIVERSARIES: Alice McConnon, John Donnelly, Jim Buttimer, Margaret Grudzien, Judith Dwyer, Margaret Hywell, Teresa Donovan, Bridget Donovan, William Donovan, Brendan Sheehy, John McDermott, Peter Crossan, Dave Fanning, Paddy Joe Canny, Nathan McLean

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £589.31

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £20.00
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

We have had to remove the bank account details because, if the details are in the public domain, we will suffer more attempts to extract money from our accounts. Two such attempts have been made in the last few weeks! If anyone needs the account details, please contact Father Phil.

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

CARITAS SUNDAY
Did you know that on Sunday 26 January, we will be marking Caritas Sunday? This annual occasion is a great opportunity to celebrate work of our diocesan charity, Caritas Diocese of Salford. To find out more about the work of Caritas Salford and how you can get involved, please visithttps://www.caritassalford.org.uk/. We invite you to keep our diocesan charity in your prayers over this coming week.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on Saturday 8th March at 10.00am.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Fr. Callum, who organises this programme, has informed us that it is being carried out this year in both Newman College and St. Damian’s High School. The programme will begin on Monday 17th February at 3.30pm-5pm (Newman College) or on Tuesday 18th February at 3.30-5pm (St. Damian’s). If there are young people who don’t go to either of these schools who want to be on the programme, it is planned to do a further series of meetings. There will be seven sessions in all, the last one being a reconciliation service. The confirmations will take place at 7pm on 4th June at St. Mary’s Failsworth, or a 7pm. 5th June at St. Edward’s, Lees. The Bishop will carry out the confirmations in both churches. Young people of Year 8 age group and older can register. Forms for registering will be available after Christmas.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Monday 13th January – St Hilary- He was born into a wealthy pagan family in Gaul around 315. He became a Christian when he was 35 years old and was a married man with a daughter. To us, therefore, it might seem strange that he was made a bishop in 320. He was banished to Phrygia for a while but, later, returned to Gaul where he died.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today, there’s a jump from the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth to the time when he’s thirty years old and just about to begin his public ministry. Anyone writing a book, or an article, knows that those first few lines are so important; they draw someone into the story and sometimes give the reader the idea of what sort of story it is. Jesus’ baptism does this so well. We find all sorts of clues as to the person he is and will be.
First, he announced himself in the wilderness where John was baptising. The wilderness was a special place for the Jews because of the Exodus story which reminded them of God intervening on their behalf. The exodus journey had concluded with the Ark of the Covenant crossing the River Jordan very close to the point where Jesus was baptised. Jesus is opening up the way to the Promised Land.
Next, the simple act of Baptism points forward to what Jesus himself calls a second Baptism, his death on the cross. Some of us might associate water with memories of holidays by the sea or walks by pleasant lakes or winding streams. But water, in the Book of Genesis, was a symbol of chaos and death. In Genesis, we see God bringing life out of chaos. You might remember that in the New Testament too, the Book of Revelation gives a vision of the New Jerusalem as a place where there will be no more sea. Again, it was a symbol of death. Jesus suggests that he is prepared to plunge himself into chaos or death to help us out of it. And this is what he will do on the cross. In fact, Jesus refers to the death he must undergo as a baptism. So, Baptism begins his public ministry and points to another type of Baptism that will conclude it.
But his Baptism was also the Baptism of John which was a public acknowledgement of one’s sinfulness. Why would Jesus accept such a baptism? He is prepared to become completely one of us, even to being thought of as contaminated by our sinful condition. Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would be “thought of as someone punished…burdened with the sins of all of us…letting himself be taken as a sinner.” On the cross too, he will be thought of as a sinner and a criminal, when he was completely innocent.
There are also the words that we hear from the Father, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” There’s a clear reference here to more words of Isaiah, which speak of the Messiah “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights.”
So, with such symbolic action Jesus clearly speaks of the type of Messiah he will be and points to the way he will do it. So much is said in one small action!

FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY (YEAR C)
WEEK: JANUARY 5TH - 11TH 2025

Feast of the EPIPHANY

“Then shall you see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult…”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Terry Cummins, Elizabeth Flanagan, Margaret Williamson, Margaret Emsis
LATELY DEAD: Joseph McParland, Jim Bowker, Teresa McGarrigle, Anghel Alina, Win Powell, Jane Lord, Michael O’Rourke
ANNIVERSARIES: Richard Teefy, Pauline Jordan, Patricia Locke, Peter McDermott, Joe Beswick, Margaret Grudzien, Judith Dwyer, Margaret Hywell, Teresa Donovan, Brendan Sheehy, John McDermott, Peter Crossan, Dave Fanning

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £906.77

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £20.00
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

Our Bank: Barclays Bank - Account Name: TSDT, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Oldham; Sort Code 20 55 34; Account Number 90652504; Reference: Contr.

NOTICES
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on next Saturday,
11th January at 10.00am.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Fr. Callum, who organises this programme, has informed us that it is being carried out this year in both Newman College and St. Damian’s High School. The programme will begin on Monday 17th February at 3.30pm-5pm (Newman College) or on Tuesday 18th February at 3.30-5pm (St. Damian’s). If there are young people who don’t go to either of these schools who want to be on the programme, it is planned to do a further series of meetings. There will be seven sessions in all, the last one being a reconciliation service. The confirmations will take place at 7pm on 4th June at St. Mary’s Failsworth, or a 7pm. 5th June at St. Edward’s, Lees. The Bishop will carry out the confirmations in both churches. Young people of Year 8 age group and older can register. Forms for registering will be available after Christmas.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Tuesday 7th January – St Raymond Penyafort: at the age of 47, Raymond entered the Dominican Order. He then became confessor to Pope Gregory IX and collated the Decrees of the Popes and Councils into the Book of Decretals. He lived to a grand old age and died in 1275. He is regarded as the Patron Saint of Canon Lawyers because of his work on the Decretals.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
The Feast of the Epiphany, as we celebrate it today, focuses on the arrival of the Magi, but it wasn’t always the case. Initially, this day celebrated several different events through which God manifested himself to humanity, including the baptism of the Lord and the marriage feast of Cana. The word, ‘epiphany’ means a ‘revelation’ and is often associated with a ‘light bulb moment’, when we see ourselves perhaps stumbling around in the darkness, and then, as if someone has suddenly turned the light on, we see or understand something we didn’t before. It can be a very ordinary event that gives us such a ‘light bulb moment’. For Archimedes, it was simply having a bath and realising the scientific principle that the volume of water displaced is equal to the volume of the body submerged.
So, what’s the aspect of God that Matthew is trying to enable us to glimpse today? He uses all sorts of symbolism in the telling of this story that requires a knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. Helpfully, two of these pieces of Scripture being referred to are used as the first reading and the responsorial psalm today. Isaiah had spoken of gentiles, with kings among them, bringing gold and incense before the God of Israel. Now, Matthew does not make any mention of kings; he only speaks of ‘Magi’ (astronomers and astrologers); it’s tradition and culture that has developed the notion of three kings, no doubt helped by today’s psalm, which refers to kings and mentions just three of them. There’s one from Tarshish (in Spain), another from Sheba (in Yemen) and a third from Seba (in Ethiopia). Again, as I often point out, these pieces of Scripture were written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, but Matthew is clearly suggesting their fulfilment in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. It's important to make a link too with another biblical story, that of the Queen of Sheba coming to visit King Solomon, the son of King David, to see his wisdom in practice. Matthew is suggesting, in his telling of the visit of the Magi, that, in Jesus, we have a much greater and truer ‘Son of David’. In fact, later in his Gospel, he will make direct reference to this (Mtt 12:42).
This feast invites us to recognise God guiding us and speaking to us through the ordinary things in life. In the middle of the nineteenth century, a woman of African descent, called Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery in Maryland (USA) and travelled north to freedom in Canada. Then she returned several times to help other enslaved people to escape to freedom. On different occasions, she avoided capture by listening to her dreams, and, like the Magi in the Gospel today, taking different routes. She had a real sense of God guiding her, both by her dreams and by the interventions of different people, and by following the North star.

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY (YEAR C)
WEEK: DECEMBER 29TH 2024 - JANUARY 4TH 2025

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY

“His mother treasured up all these things in her heart”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Terry Cummins, Elizabeth Flanagan, Margaret Williamson
LATELY DEAD: Jim O’Hanlon, Joseph McParland, Jim Bowker, Teresa McGarrigle, Win Powell, Jane Lord
ANNIVERSARIES: Michael McGrother, Irene Dodd, Debbie Remorozo, Frances Michailuk, Mamma Lina Feniuk, Dawn Cookson Martines and baby Robbie, Richard Teefy, Pauline Jordan

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £852.28; Christmas Eve/Day collection £1,370.68p

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £20.00; Foodbank £20.00.; Donations from AA (for use of room) £100.00; NA £30.00; Donations from a funeral £40.00
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

Our Bank: Barclays Bank - Account Name: TSDT, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Oldham; Sort Code 20 55 34; Account Number 90652504; Reference: Contr.

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

POPE’S MESSAGE FOR WORLD PEACE DAY – 1ST JANUARY 2025
The Holy Father addresses a Message of good wishes and hope to Heads of State and Government, Heads of International Organisations, Leaders of different religions and every person of good will. Hope, which also characterises the Jubilee Year, is the preponderant theme of this 58th Message. Pope Francis invites us to look at the many challenges that severely endanger the survival of humanity and Creation with a heart full of hope.
To do this, it is necessary to rely on God's mercy. By His forgiving our debts, we will rediscover ourselves all children of the Father, and therefore all brothers and sisters, united on the path of peace. More concretely, then, Pope Francis recommends three actions that can truly mark a path of peace: the forgiveness of the international debt; the abolition of the death penalty; the establishment of a World Fund that will definitively eliminate hunger.

POPE FRANCIS ON BBC RADIO 4’S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
In the message, recorded in Italian and translated into English for the broadcast, the Pope said: “A world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world. A society that looks to the future with confidence and treats people with respect and empathy is more humane.” And he spoke of the Jubilee, urging people to become “pilgrims of hope”. He said: “I hope that during this Jubilee, we can practise kindness as a form of love to help others.” Violence and hatred in society should not discourage people and foster scepticism, instead it is possible to choose love and kindness.
Citing the writer GK Chesterton, the Pope urged listeners to “take the elements of life with gratitude and not for granted”. He encouraged people not to let the state of the world in areas such as the environment foster feelings of pessimism, resignation and hopelessness and urged them instead to choose hope and kindness.

NEW ALMANACS
The new almanacs, giving the information about the priests, parishes, associations, and organisations of the diocese are on sale in the parish shop.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Fr. Callum, who organises this programme, has informed us that it is being carried out this year in both Newman College and St. Damian’s High School. The programme will begin on Monday 17th February at 3.30pm-5pm (Newman College) or on Tuesday 18th February at 3.30-5pm (St. Damian’s). If there are young people who don’t go to either of these schools who want to be on the programme, it is planned to do a further series of meetings. There will be seven sessions in all, the last one being a reconciliation service. The confirmations will take place at 7pm on 4th June at St. Mary’s Failsworth, or a 7pm. 5th June at St. Edward’s, Lees. The Bishop will carry out the confirmations in both churches. Young people of Year 8 age group and older can register. Forms for registering will be available after Christmas.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on Saturday 11th January at 10.00am.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Tuesday 31st December – St Sylvester I, Pope
Wednesday 1st January – Holy Mary, Mother of God.
Thursday 2nd January – St Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen - They were close friends and great figures of the Eastern Church in the fourth century. Basil was Bishop of Caesarea and active in promoting the monastic life. Gregory was Bishop of Constantinople and, because of his great learning, is still known in the East as ‘Gregory the theologian’; he eventually retired from the episcopacy to return the monastery in Nazianzus.
Friday 3rd January – The Most Holy Name of Jesus.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today’s Gospel story is one that is only found in the Gospel of Luke. Scholars say that it’s the first of two bookends, this one at the beginning of the Gospel account. The second is that of the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, in the last chapter of Luke’s Gospel.
We see several similarities between these ‘bookends’. In both stories, there’s a sense of Jesus having been lost. In the first, he has been lost by his parents. In the second, he’s been lost to the disciples through his death on the cross. In both stories, there’s been three days of loss. In both stories, there’s a failure of people to understand, Mary and Joseph in the first and the two disciples in the second. In both stories we see Jesus explaining that this was the way it had to be, that he was simply being obedient to his Father’s will.
This is Luke’s way of pointing the way his story will go, rather like the introduction to an essay, and then explaining what the story has all been about, as in the conclusion to an essay. He’s saying that there will be things in the story that we will not understand when we first hear it; we will need to hold these things in our hearts until real understanding is given us. Then, he’s also saying that this is a story of obedience rather than one of disobedience as we might have first thought. Throughout the story of Jesus, he will refer to carrying out his Father’s will and praying, “Thy will be done!”
There are many things that we only come to appreciate after we have sat with them for a while. Then, when we do realise their significance, we sometimes can’t understand why we didn’t understand that straightaway.

CROSSOVER NIGHT
A special charismatic service of thanksgiving will take place on Tuesday 31st December in the church. Theme: Give thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Speaker: Rev. Fr Churchill MSsCc Date: Tuesday 31st December 2024. Time: 9:00pm-00:30 am. Programme: Rosary: 9:00pm-9:15pm Opening prayer: 9:15pm-9:25pm Youths Praise & Worship: 9:25pm-9:55pm Mass/Thanksgiving/Special intercessory prayers by the priest: 9:55 pm-00:00 am Announcement: 00:05 am Closing prayer by Rev. Fr. Churchill.

QUOTATIONS
“A light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower” (John’s Gospel).
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun shall rise” (Victor Hugo”).
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that” (Martin Luther King Jr).
“However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light” (Stanley Kubrick).

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT(YEAR C)
WEEK: DECEMBER 22ND - 28TH 2024

Fourth Sunday of Advent

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Terry Cummins, Elizabeth Flanagan, Margaret Williamson
LATELY DEAD: Jim O’Hanlon, Joseph McParland, Jim Bowker, Teresa McGarrigle, Win Powell.
ANNIVERSARIES: Peter McDermott, Vincent and Ethel Concannon, David Beatty, Patricia Locke, Colin Riley, Alice and Denis Buckley, Patricia Locke, Dawn Cookson Martines and baby Robbie.

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £879.99

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £30.00; CAFOD £501.15; Heating £56.52
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

Our Bank: Barclays Bank - Account Name: TSDT, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Oldham; Sort Code 20 55 34; Account Number 90652504; Reference: Contr.

FR. PHIL’S CHRISTMAS GREETING

"I pray that peace will reign in our homes and in our attitudes towards others, that peace may reign in the world."

Podcasts

First Sunday of Advent - Podcast

Second Sunday of Advent - Podcast

Third Sunday of Advent - Podcast

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Podcast

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Christmas Day Podcast

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NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

FIRST MASS OF CHRISTMAS
Christmas Eve (First Mass of Christmas) will begin with carols at 7.30pm, with Mass starting at 8.00pm

WARM FOOD HUB.
On 25th December 2024 from 12 noon till 3.00pm at 72 Yorkshire Street, Oldham, OL1 1SR. Places must be booked in advance using the following link: www.ukeff.org/christmas24/
The organisers will provide snacks, hot drinks, and a hot Christmas Dinner for those who are struggling and will benefit from support and assistance. This year will be the 11th year the organisers have supported people with a wide range of problems over Christmas, including (but not limited to):

financial hardship,
loneliness,
domestic abuse,
homelessness - particularly families in hotels with no cooking facilities

NEW ALMANACS
The new almanacs, giving the information about the priests, parishes, associations, and organisations of the diocese are on sale in the parish shop.

CONFIRMATION PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Fr. Callum, who organises this programme, has informed us that it is being carried out this year in both Newman College and St. Damian’s High School. The programme will begin on Monday 17th February at 3.30pm-5pm (Newman College) or on Tuesday 18th February at 3.30-5pm (St. Damian’s). If there are young people who don’t go to either of these schools who want to be on the programme, it is planned to do a further series of meetings. There will be seven sessions in all, the last one being a reconciliation service. The confirmations will take place at 7pm on 4th June at St. Mary’s Failsworth, or a 7pm. 5th June at St. Edward’s, Lees. The Bishop will carry out the confirmations in both churches. Young people of Year 8 age group and older can register. Forms for registering will be available after Christmas.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on Saturday 11th January at 10.00am.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Wednesday 25th December – The Nativity of the Lord
Thursday 26th December – St Stephen – Stephen is called the ‘protomartyr’ for he was the first Christian to die for the Faith. He had been appointed one of Jerusalem’s seven deacons. Accused of preaching blasphemy, he was arrested and tried before the High Priest, Caiaphas and condemned to death by stoning.
Friday 27th December – St. John the Evangelist – Christian tradition says that John the Evangelist was John the Apostle. John, Peter and James the Just were the three pillars of the Jerusalem church after Jesus' death. He was one of the original twelve apostles and is thought to be the only one to escape martyrdom. It had been believed that he was exiled (around AD 95) to the Aegean Island of Patmos.
Saturday 28th December – The Holy Innocents

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today’s first reading was written over 600 years before the birth of Jesus and it predicts the birthplace of the Lord, who would shepherd his flock. These words are important because the title “the Lord” (Adonai) is often used to replace the Hebrew word for God, which would never be spoken. And, from the 23rd psalm, you know that God is also referred to as both “the Lord” and as a “shepherd”. So, Micah seems to be predicting the birth of God in our world.
He also suggests that God often works through people or places that have no prestige. Bethlehem, we are told, was too “little”, or too insignificant a place, and yet it was chosen as the place where God would become incarnate.
The other focus provided by the readings is that of both the Annunciation and the Visitation. It might not, at first, seem obvious that the Annunciation is a focus; the Gospel simply tells the story of the Visitation. It’s the second reading, however, which reminds us of the Annunciation, the story often told on this Sunday. There we read the words, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” These are an echo of the words uttered by Mary after she heard that she was to give birth. She simply said, “Let what you have said be done to me.” It was that obedience to God’s will that enabled the conception of Jesus. It is our giving way to God’s will that enables the birth of Jesus once more in our world.
Some of you may have seen, during the sports personality of the year awards, the Helen Rollason award being given to a Dr. Mark Prince, a former boxing champion. He had achieved so much despite losing his son to knife crime and was honoured for his work with the Kiyan Prince Foundation (named after his son), which keeps young people away from knife crime through boxing. He spoke powerfully of using the pain of loss, not to become bitter but to become better. I’m not suggesting that the killing of his son was the will of God, but that what he did with his pain was a submission to the will of God.
In the story of the Visitation, Luke expertly makes a link between the pregnancy of Mary and the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem at the time of King David. If you remember the story, David had moved his headquarters from Shiloh to Jerusalem and, when the Ark of the Covenant arrived in Jerusalem, he danced wildly with joy. As Mary visits her relative, Elizabeth, who was further on in her pregnancy, we hear how the child in Elizabeth’s womb danced for joy. Mary had travelled from Nazareth, in the north, to a place a few miles to the West of Jerusalem; Zechariah would have lived close to Jerusalem to carry out his priestly duties. So, we see, once more, God present in Zion.

ADVENT PODS
Some of you will remember that when Sr. Eileen was here, she produced some advent pods as a type of extra spiritual devotion during advent. At that time, she worked with Katrina, Debbie and Janet. Now Katrina, from her home in Scotland, has prepared Advent pods in a similar style and we will put them on our website each week in the hope that they will assist some of you in your spiritual preparation for Christmas.

DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES 2025
We are delighted to announce that our diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes will be taking place once again in 2025 between 31st July and 6th August. You can register your interest now by visiting www.salfordlourdes.co.uk or by calling 0161 817 2209.

A very Merry Christmas from the webteam -
Steve, Juice, Debbie and, of course, Father Phil.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT(YEAR C)
WEEK: DECEMBER 8TH - 14TH 2024

Second Sunday of Advent

“…all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK:John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Win Powell, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Theresa McGarrigle
LATELY DEAD: Amy Howard, Patricia Haines, Declan Quinlivan, Eamonn Donovan, Gordon Hibbert
ANNIVERSARIES: Marie Francoise Boyi, Christopher Alan Whitehead, Krystyna Ogorek, Anthony Joseph Reilly, Michael Crossan, Molly Crossan, Patrick McDermott

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £759.80

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £50.00; Missio £12.00
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

Our Bank: Barclays Bank - Account Name: TSDT, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Oldham; Sort Code 20 55 34; Account Number 90652504; Reference: Contr.

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

The Parish reconciliation service will be celebrated on Sunday 15th December at 3.00pm.

financial hardship,
loneliness,
domestic abuse,
homelessness - particularly families in hotels with no cooking facilities

ANNUAL PARISH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
This event took place last week and was very much appreciated by those who attended. There were four great soloists who performed and four great choirs. I would like to put a pictorial account on the parish website, but I don’t have many still photographs taken by myself on the day; I was otherwise occupied being the MC! If anyone has a few still photos of the event that they could send me, that would be very helpful.

PILGRIMS OF HOPE JUBILEE IN OUR DIOCESE
Pope Francis has declared that the year 2025 will be a Holy Year of Jubilee for the Catholic Church, an event that takes place once every 25 years and offers the faithful an opportunity to renew their relationship with God, each other, and all of creation. Over the coming months, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to observe this special year of grace in our own diocese. To find out more about the Jubilee and how to get involved, please visit https://dioceseofsalford.org.uk/news/jubilee-2025/

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be on Saturday 11th January at 10.00am.

FIRST MASS OF CHRISTMAS
Christmas Eve (First Mass of Christmas) will begin with carols at 7.30pm, with Mass starting at 8.00pm.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Monday 9th December – The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Wednesday 11th December: St. Damasus I (Pope) – Born in Spain, he became Pope in 366 and encouraged devotion to the martyrs of Rome. He, therefore, ordered that the catacombs, in which they were entombed, be excavated, drained, adorned and opened to the public.
Saturday 14th December – St. John of the Cross - St John was born in 1542 and is the author of the famous poem “Noche obscura del alma” (Dark night of the soul). He was a Carmelite priest and a friend of the great mystic St Teresa of Avila. He was imprisoned for undertaking to return the Carmelites to their primitive rule of poverty. It was while he was in his gaol cell in Toledo that he composed his great poem.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today we have listened to three prophetic voices of hope, writing in difficult and worrying circumstances. The first of these voices presented to us is that of the prophet Baruch. His message was written after the fall of Jerusalem when the Jews were in exile in Babylon. Somehow or other, from the depths of misery, the writer is able to speak of genuine hope. He speaks of a return home from exile and suggests that the journey will be made easy because God will be walking with them, and they will be together. This will mean that it will be as if the valleys are filled in and the mountains made low.
The second of our prophetic voices comes from Paul, in his letter to the Philippians. We know, of course, that he was writing this letter when he was in prison with a very frightening prospect. Again, somehow or other, he speaks of hope for the future. And it’s clear that the reason he can speak of hope is because of the people who have worked with him to spread the message of the Good News. He knows that, despite his imprisonment, they and God are with him still.
The third prophetic voice is the one now so associated with this second Sunday of Advent. It is the voice of John the Baptist. Luke interestingly refers to the historical setting. He speaks of the powers of the age, Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod the Tetrarch, and of the high priests Annas and Caiaphas. He’s suggesting that unlike the other big stories of that time (the Odyssey of Homer or the Aeneid of Virgil), what he is speaking about is God entering into our history and our lives. This is no myth. John the Baptist, of course, does not proclaim the birth of Jesus but the coming of the Messiah. Luke deliberately quotes Isaiah Chapter 40 when he speaks of the triumphant return of the people from exile and a time when “All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” He’s saying that the announcement of John the Baptist is one of God entering our lives again as he did to bring back the Israelites from exile. But this time, it’s of even greater importance.
Surely, one of the messages of this Sunday is for us to look for and listen to the other prophetic voices of hope that issue from those dark places closer to our own times. I speak, of course, of people like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, Oscar Romero and many more. They were faced with massive oppression but refused to be cowed by it. They spoke to us all of a power that is unstoppable but nonviolent, one that is something of God intervening in history to heal.

FINANCES OF THE PARISH
The Parish finances have taken a bit of a bettering in the last couple of years, mainly because of the demolition of St. Mary’s church and the subsequent care of that site. The demolition itself cost the parish about £120,000; we’ve only yet paid about half of that amount. But, recently, fly tippers left a pile of asbestos waste on the site. This will cost the parish about another £10,000 to clear up. Of course, when the land is sold, the money from the sale will come back into the parish, but we have no idea when this might take place. So, like the farmers, we are now asset rich but cash poor!

PARISH OF SACRED HEART AND ST WILLIAM, UPPERMILL
The parish of Sacred Heart and St William, in Uppermill, is now officially a parish of the Diocese of Salford. Bishop John has received the definitive decree from Rome confirming that the parish has been transferred from the Diocese of Leeds. Fr Jim Clarke has been appointed parish priest at Uppermill, while remaining parish priest of St Joseph’s, Mossley. I know that Fr. Jim has been acting as Priest in Charge at Uppermill for some time but it’s only now that the parish has been officially transferred to this diocese.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT(YEAR C)
WEEK: DECEMBER 1ST - 7TH 2024

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

“In those times, after the time of distress…the powers “Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth”

YOUR CHARITABLE PRAYERS are requested for our parishioners and friends, especially those whose names appear below.
SICK: John Green, Joan Killeen, Eileen Killeen, Christine Clarke, Tony Kenny, Luke Burke, Dominic Boardman, Connie Marrone, Alexander Loughlin, Mary Malone, Win Powell, Surya Duval, Margaret Lawless, Peter Barlow, Nynna Carpio, Theresa McGarrigle
LATELY DEAD: Amy Howard, Patricia Haines, Declan Quinlivan, Eamonn Donovan
ANNIVERSARIES: Mary Anne Coen, Denis Guilfoyle, Maggie Moores, Marie Francoise Boyi Paddy McGinn, Mary Oakes, Terence Lees, Jan Dabrowski, Alphonso Ferrara, Peter Hordynski, Christopher Alan Whitehead, Krystyna Ogorek

LAST WEEK'S COLLECTION: £786.25

Standing Order: £674.00 a month

CHURCH BOXES / DONATIONS
Caritas (Homeless) £25.00; Donation £100.00
Many thanks for your kind generosity.

Our Bank: Barclays Bank - Account Name: TSDT, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Oldham; Sort Code 20 55 34; Account Number 90652504; Reference: Contr.

NOTICES:
All Masses will continue to be live streamed. A link is provided on the Parish website: www.smwsp.org.uk or via the Twitter App (@PhilipSumner13).

ADVENT
The great season of Advent begins today. This is meant to be a time of cutting back in preparation for the feast, not a time for pre-empting the feast. I encourage you not to put up the Christmas decorations once December starts, but to allow the true sense of Advent to be lived.

BISHOP JOHN ARNOLD COMMENTS ON COP29
Following the conclusion of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Bishop John Arnold, Lead Bishop for the Environment, has voiced his disappointment about the inadequacy of the agreed climate finance deal. Bishop Arnold remarked: “COP29 offered a critical opportunity for the global community to renew their commitment to our common home, to honour past promises and take meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions and avert the climate crisis. Regrettably, the climate finance deal has fallen short of what is urgently needed. Sadly, those who are least responsible for climate change will continue to bear the brunt of its devastation. The leaders of developing nations have already condemned the COP29 climate deal as a ‘travesty of justice’, pointing out that wealthier nations have failed to respond to ‘the cry of the earth and cry of the poor.’

LECTIONARY
A new edition of the Lectionary, the book which contains the readings which are proclaimed at Mass, will come into use in England and Wales next Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent 2024.

FIRST COMMUNION PROGRAMME FOR 2024-25
The next session will be a reconciliation service on Saturday, December 7th at 2.00pm. Then, the following meeting will be on Saturday 11th January at 10.00am

FIRST MASS OF CHRISTMAS
Christmas Eve (First Mass of Christmas) will begin with carols at 7.30pm, with Mass starting at 8.00pm.

SPECIAL DAYS THIS WEEK
Tuesday 3rd December – St. Francis Xavier – He was a Basque Spaniard and a friend of St. Ignatius Loyola and one of the first Jesuits. He preached in India, arriving at the Portuguese colony of Goa. After about seven years, he set sail for Japan where he became the first European to set foot on those islands and preached there for two years with incredible success. He then set off for China but died on an island off the coast of China in 1552. Wednesday 4th December: St. John Damascene – He was from Damascus in Syria. He became a monk, a philosopher, a theologian and a Defender of Sacred Art during the iconoclast crisis of the eighth century. Tradition tells us that she was a noble woman, learned in science and oratory, who came to Christianity after receiving a vision. At 18 years old, she offered to debate with the pagan philosophers, who were, it is said, convinced by her arguments. The emperor ordered her execution. Friday 6th December – St. Nicholas – We know him best by his Dutch name, “Santa Claus”. He was a bishop of Myra, a city in Turkey. It’s said that he saved three women who had been leaning towards prostitution because their father was too poor to pay their dowries. Nicholas is said to have thrown three bags of gold through their open window. These three bags became the idea behind the three balls of gold outside a pawnbrokers. Saturday 7th December – St. Ambrose - St Ambrose was a lawyer in Milan and not yet baptised when, inspired the shouts of a child in the crowd, the people of the city made him their bishop. He was renowned for his eloquence as a preacher and for his gifts as a hymn-writer. He is said to have baptised Augustine.

THIS SUNDAY’S READINGS
Today’s Gospel could never be said to pre-empt Christmas; we start with an image of the nations in distress, and the powers of heaven being shaken. The First Sunday of Advent is about lighting a single flickering candle in the darkness. We are called not to escape the darkness but to acknowledge it and then to look for, or to be, that candle of hope. Jeremiah, in the first reading, is lighting a candle in the darkness of his day. The people of Israel were still in exile in Babylon. The kingdom handed on by King David had been utterly crushed and the people were experiencing the darkness of exile. But Jeremiah lights a candle by reminding them of the promise made to them by the Lord, that He will restore a righteous branch of the kingdom of David. Even in the terrible darkness of Auschwitz in the early 1940’s, there were, figuratively speaking, candles lit to give hope in the face of despair, to be signs of humanity in the midst of dreadful inhumanity. Maximilian Kolbe was one such candle, but there were many others who through their humanity, sacrifice and resilience, spoke of hope. Advent is about acknowledging the darkness of our times, not trying to blot it out with office parties, sentimentality and tinsel. We are asked to ‘stay awake’. Some of you will remember the film of Mr. Bean’s holiday. We see him driving to the south of France and desperately trying to stay awake. He slaps himself in the face and tries to keep his eyes open with match sticks. Staying awake, in the Christian sense, is something very different. It’s about being alert to the blessings that we receive from God in the darkness of our lives. The escapism of the consumerist Christmas simply prevents that alertness. We need to take time during Advent to look for, or to be the flickering lights of hope in the darkness that can often enter and bedevil our lives. I was reading, for example, the latest newsletter from Pax Christi / Just Peace. There I read that this year’s prize for international peace was going to a group of 700 families, some from Palestine and some from Israel. They had come together to share their stories of grief and loss, listening to each other and exploring the possibility of reconciliation rather than revenge. This group have quite clearly lit a candle in the dreadful darkness of the conflict in the Middle East.

The Parish reconciliation service will be celebrated on Sunday 15th December at 3.00pm.

ANNUAL PARISH INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
This event took place yesterday. Many thanks to all who put so much time and effort into making this event a success.

WEEKLY SERVICES
SUNDAY:	10.00am. 12.30pm (Polish Mass) 6.00pm
MONDAY:	12 noon Mass
TUESDAY:	12 noon Mass
WEDNESDAY:	12 noon Mass
THURSDAY:	12 noon Mass
FRIDAY:	12 noon Mass
SATURDAY:	12 noon Mass