Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 16th June, 2024. Cycle B
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Mario Ashuikeka
Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites http://www.stjohntheevangelistnewferry.com
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 16th June, 2024. Cycle B
FAITH IN FOCUS: THE INVISIBLE FORCE:
Christians sometimes focus so much on the Church that they lose sight of the kingdom. They tend to think that the Church is the be-all and end-all of religious activity and they can become blind to the kingdom of God.
Yet the kingdom and the Church are not the same things. The Church is the bearer of the kingdom but not the exclusive owner. The kingdom, which Jesus today speaks about in his parables, is wider than the Church and is not so visible and tangible.
Jesus taught his disciples that the kingdom is already with us, though it can seem to be hidden. It has already been inaugurated, though it is yet to reach its fulfilment. Day after day it is unfurled, little by little in an almost unnoticeable way.
The ideals of the kingdom clash with the values of the world. That’s because the kingdom is eternal and universal whereas the world is about fads and fashion, about exclusivity and partiality. The kingdom is about truth and life, whereas the world happily lies and trades in destruction of all types. The kingdom espouses holiness and grace, concepts which the secular world considers laudable but outmoded. And the kingdom’s principles of justice, love and peace are more likely to be echoed in the world’s pop songs than in its strategies.
Does this mean that we’ve nothing to hope for? That injustice, violence, corruption and oppression will always be with us? Is it just par for the course?
Jesus says not. With his arrival on earth the kingdom of God has begun to embed itself in all aspects of our world. There are invincible forces already at work as the world matures and the kingdom silently grows. Like a seed planted in a field it grows unobtrusively, by day and by night. Like a mustard seed it starts off tiny but becomes a force to be reckoned with. And even now we sometimes catch a glimpse of the power of the kingdom when world events are confounded and when men and women, even just for a moment, unite in a shared vision that reflects the will of God.
The kingdom is here now. The way we behave will help or hinder it. But it’s bigger than all of us put together. That’s why we pray: Thy kingdom come.
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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you: be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Saviour!
RESPONSE TO THE PSALM: It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Alleluia, alleluia! I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. Alleluia!
COMMUNION ANTIPHON: There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
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Sunday is a special day of prayer for Life.
There will be no Sunday Prayer Meeting for the next two Sundays.
Devotions/Adoration: Saturday Morning Devotions will be prayed in Church (the Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises) from 10:30am-11:30am. Fr Mario will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation between 10.30 & 11.00am. All are welcome.
Last Weeks’ Offertory Collection: amounted to £490.64p. Many thanks for your continued support.
Day for Life – There will be a retiring collection this weekend 15/16th June.
If you have any queries regarding parish matters or if you wish to arrange a Baptism, Wedding or Funeral please contact Fr Mario on 0151-645 3996. You can also get in touch with Carol Dalziel on 07808975011 or Ann Murray on 07745490279 regarding general parish queries.
SJE’s Parish Safeguarding Officer is Celia Daly, who can be contacted on 0151-645 9256 on all safeguarding matters.
Mass Intentions If you would like to have a Mass said for your own or someone else’s intentions , fill in one of the Mass offering envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it & put it through the Presbytery letterbox. Please give at least three weeks’ notice as we are receiving a large number of requests for particular dates.
In Memoriam: Please pray all the faithful departed that they may rest in the peace of Christ.
Children's Liturgy – takes place during the 9.30am Mass. All are most welcome.
Sunday Morning Teas continue on the first Sunday of each month. Come along for tea/coffee & biscuits whilst enjoying a chat. Sunday 7th July is the next date.
Wirral Foodbank Appeal: Please help to support our local Foodbank as much as you can with both food & funds. All items urgently needed are listed on the notice board at the back of church. Thank you.
Other Social activities: We would like some volunteers to join our group to help to arrange various social activities this year. Please ring/text Diane Baylis on 07946916338.
Confirmation 2024 for St John’s & St Anne’s will be held at St Anne’s on Wednesday 27/11 at 7.00pm.
DIVINE MERCY CELEBRATION ANDVENERATION OF 1st CLASS RELIC OF ST FAUSTINA: Led by Fr Peter Prusakiewicz from Poland who travels the world proclaiming and explaining the Divine Mercy devotion and talking about his experience of St Michael the Archangel and Holy Angels, please join us at St Anne's Rock Ferry from 12 o'clock to 2.30pm this Wednesday 19th June for Holy Mass and a talk, followed by a Eucharistic healing service with veneration of a 1st class relic of St FAUSTINA. There will also be an opportunity to purchase rosaries and the Angels magazine.
CELEBRATION -On Friday 5th July there will be a thanksgiving Mass for Fr Mario on his 10th year Anniversary as an ordained priest. Our three parishes – St John’s, St Luke’s and St Anne’s will celebrate together. Mass will be at St Anne’s at 7pm, followed by coffee and cake in the presbytery. All most welcome.
An Evening with Dr Bill Keimig on Monday 24th June at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall, Holy Angels Church, Wicker Ln, Hale Barns, Altrincham WA15 0HG. Dr Bill Keimig, from the Franciscan University of Steubenville in the USA, will lead an evening filled with laughter, inspiration and wisdom as he shares his insights and experiences of parish renewal and leading RCIA. This is open to all and especially to volunteers, catechists and those who are curious! This promises to be a fantastic evening, so please sign up early via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/evening-with-dr-bill-keimig-tickets-902343853757. For any further details please contact Natalie Orefice, Diocesan Mission Catechist natalie.orefice@dioceseofshrewsbury.org or telephone 07730 526826.
Called to the Priesthood – Have you considered a vocation to the Diocesan Priesthood in imitation of Jesus the Good Shepherd? For more information see our website at shrewsburyvocations.org If you would like to explore God’s call for your life and learn about other opportunities for discernment, please email the diocesan vocationsdirectorat vocationsdirector@dioceseofshrewsbury.org For more resources, see the National Office for Vocation at www.ukvocation.org and www.ukpriest.org
SVP and CAFOD working together in the run up to the General Election As Catholics, we know that tackling poverty and injustice are among the most important issues politicians should act on. St Vincent de Paul Society and CAFOD have produced a guide for Catholics for the General Election, with suggested questions to ask candidates. Please see cafod.org.uk/encounter or svp.org.uk/encounter for more information.
A vacancy has arisen for a Parish Secretary at the parish of St Anne’s, Rock Ferry. Hours: 15 per week, to be spread over Monday to Friday mornings (flexible). hourly rate: £14.00. For further details please see the Diocesan Website https://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/latest-vacancies/ Applications in the form of a CV and covering letter should be sent to Pauline McCulloch recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org Closing date: Friday 22 June 2024.
A Lively Musical Evening, to support SVP Youth Work, with The Mercy Brothers On Friday 21 June you are invited to an evening with The Mercy Brothers, a clergy-based band from the Salford and Shrewsbury Diocese. Funds raised will go to support for SVP Youth Work in the Shrewsbury and Salford Dioceses. Venue: Our Lady’s Social Club, Flint St, Stockport, SK3 8GE. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Tickets at £15 are available from https://giving.give-star.com/event/saint-vincent-de-paul-society-england-and-wales/a-lively-musical-evening-with-the-mercy-brothers or on the door.
Anointing and Healing Service: There will be no Service in July. The next Service will be Friday, 2nd August at 7pm. More details to follow.
Garden Party: The ladies of St Luke's are organising a Garden Party to be held on Saturday 29th June 2-4pm at 76 Church Road, Bebington. Everyone Welcome.
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Saturday 15th 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm Margaret Ellis RIP
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 16th 9.30am Margaret McGrath RIP
Monday 17th 9.15am The lonely
Tuesday 18th NO MASS
Wednesday 19th 9.15am Children around the world
Thursday 20th 7.00pm MASS AT ST ANNE’S ONLY
Friday 21st 9.15am The homeless
Saturday SS John Fisher & Thomas More 22nd 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm People in prison
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 23rd 9.30am Ray Taylor RIP
Weekend Masses - Please note that the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed immediately before each Mass. Please use this as a time for prayer & quiet devotion. Please enter the church quietly & remain so. Thank you.
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ST ANNE’S WEEKLY MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday 15th 6.30pm Anne McGrory RIP
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 16th 11.00am All the lonely and housebound
Monday 17th 12 Noon Mary Mercer RIP
Tuesday 18th 12 Noon The sick, health workers and carers
Wednesday 19th 12.Noon Daniel Brett B.day Remb
Thursday 20th 7.00pm MASS AT ST ANNE’S ONLY
Brian Cluskey RIP
Friday 21st 12 Noon Special Intention
Saturday SS John Fisher & Thomas More 22nd 6.30pm Ints Fr Mario
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time 23rd 11.00am Godwin Raymon Mahendran Birthday
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Pope Francis’s Prayer intention for June;
We pray that migrants fleeing from war and hunger; forced to undertake journeys full of danger and violence, find welcome and new opportunities in the countries that receive them.
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