The Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 3rd September, 2023, Cycle A
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
The Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 3rd September, 2023. Cycle A
FAITH IN FOCUS: CHEAP GRACE? Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who was imprisoned during the Second World War and executed by the Nazis in 1945 for opposing their ideology and their war-mongering activity. He is probably most famous for the quote, "Salvation without discipleship is cheap grace".
What he was saying is that there are no season tickets for Christianity. You have to sign on each day and you have to prove that you are still a Christian by discipleship, by the way you face the daily challenges of life. You can't simply "join" Christianity and then sit back as if your subscription is being paid by direct debit.
There are no quick fixes that come with faith in Christ. Today Christ tells us that following him means taking up our cross. And it's not as if we have to look very far to see what our crosses are; they stare us in the face daily. Perhaps it's a sickness that weighs us down, a betrayal by someone we trusted, a tragedy from our past or present, an unfulfilled dream or a frustrated career.
Suffering for suffering's sake is nothing more than masochism. What makes suffering Christian is that we redeem it, we make sense of it and find some purpose in it, some greater good that can come out of it. The grandparent who bravely struggles to bring up her abandoned grandchild does so because she can see beyond the troubles of the moment. The cancer sufferer does not rejoice in the pain but sees that such pain offers him the chance of a deeper understanding of the mystery of God. The person who has been publicly humiliated learns to value the dignity of others who might suffer the same fate.
We can't avoid our cross but it's the way we carry it that's going to be crucial. The fact that the God of the universe hung on a tree for three hours until his heart gave out has to give meaning to suffering, even if we are too jaded to grasp its significance.
The self-giving that we bring to our suffering can in turn bring others to know the grace of God. And God's grace does not come cheap.
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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long. O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you.
RESPONSE TO THE PSALM: For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.
GOSPEL ACCLAIMATION: Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we can see what hope his call holds for us. Alleluia!
COMMUNION ANTIPHON: How great is the goodness, Lord that you keep for those who fear you.
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Devotions/Adoration: Saturday Morning Devotions will be prayed in Church (the Rosary, Divine Mercy. and Divine Praises) from 10:30am-11:30am. Fr Mario will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation between 10.30 and 11.00. All are welcome.
Last Weeks’ Offertory Collection amounted to £499.00p. Collection for Laughter Africa totalled £395.00. Thank you for your continued generosity.
PETERS PENCE There will be a retiring collection over the weekend of 9th/10th September. Thank you for your continued generosity and support.
If you have any queries or ideas, continue to contact Deacon Mike Daly on 07542463319 or Carol Dalziel on 07808975011 on any Parish matters, or if you wish to arrange a Baptism, Wedding or Funeral. Also use the box at the back of church for your suggestions. Mike Daly’s Homilies are available on the Parish Website. Log in details are www.stjohntheevangelistnewferry.com
Mass Intentions: If you would like to have a Mass said for your own or someone else’s intentions please fill in one of the Mass offering envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it & put it through the presbytery letterbox. Thank you.
Children's Liturgy – is during the 9.30am Mass, all are most welcome.
MASS SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAYS: For the next few weeks, the Thursday night Mass will alternate between St Anne’s and St John’s.
In Memoriam - Please pray for all those who have died recently. May they rest in the peace of Christ.
Remember monthly Novena this Tuesday at 7pm.All welcome.
Wirral Foodbank Appeal: Please help support your Foodbank with food and funds. All donations need to be non-perishable, please refer to the list on the notice board of items urgently needed. Please continue to support this as much as you can in these difficult times.
Confirmation 2023 for St John’s and St Anne’s will be held at St John’s on Wednesday, 22nd November at 7.00pm. Will all candidates in Years 9 and above (or their parents) please contact Mike Daly as soon as possible to record their interest? We are asking for volunteers to form a Team of Catechists to take the candidates through the Confirmation Programme. If you are interested in becoming part of the Team, please contact Mike Daly ASAP on 07542463319.
HEALTH AND SAFETY: It is a requirement for all parish groups, using the presbytery and day chapel for meetings, FOR EACH to sign in upon entry to the presbytery and sign out when leaving. The book is located on the hall stand next to the office door. Thank you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE: A recent incident in a Wirral church involving unauthorised use of faulty electrical equipment, brought in from outside could have resulted in serious and possibly tragic consequences for the user, who received an electric shock. Fortunately, trained First Aiders were present and rendered immediate and life-saving assistance.
Consequently, after an investigation, the Health and Safety Officer for the Diocese issued the following MANDATORY instruction. “No electrical equipment is to be brought in and used in church without evidence of a recent PAT-test and then only with the express permission of the Parish Priest.” If in doubt please speak to Tony Delaney, Health & Safety Officer for St John the Evangelist.
St Philip Neri Parish Pilgrimage to Lourdes, December 2023: the details which were shared with you a few weeks ago have undergone some major changes. The revised itinerary is on the notice board at the back of Church.
Tuesday 5th September at 12.30pm, to be held at St Anne’s Parish Hall, a Screening of the film called “The Letter- a message for our earth” from Pope Francis. All are welcome.
The below Statement was read out over the weekend of 5/6th August and is published for all parishioners and for those who may not have attended Mass over that weekend: “ Statement read at the weekend Masses of 5/6th August: Fr Emmanuel has moved onto a new appointment and Fr Mario will continue to serve as Priest in Charge and Parochial Administrator of the parishes of St Anne’s, Rock Ferry, St John’s, New Ferry and St Luke’s, Bebington, supported by the local deanery clergy. Obviously, a review of Masses will need to take place in the near future. Please remember to keep both Fr Mario and Fr Emmanuel in your prayers. Canon Philip Moor, Vicar General.”
A Rosary Service to celebrate the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be held at St Anne’s on Friday 8th September at 2pm. Guest Speaker is Canon Niall Mullalley. All most welcome.
BIRTHDAY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (September 8th) Mother of the Redeemer, with great joy we call you blessed. In order to carry out his providential plan of salvation, God the Father chose you before the creation of the world. You believed in his love and obeyed his word.
WIRRAL HERITAGE OPEN DAYS September 2023 Choirs, music groups, singers and anyone who likes singing hymns! You are invited to a HYMNS BIG SING!ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS RC CHURCH NEW HEY ROAD, WOODCHURCH CH49 5LE Led by St Joseph’s Choir Birkenhead SATURDAY 16th SEPTEMBER 11.00 a.m. - 12.00 noon.
A message from Canon Christopher Matthews: The Pause for Hope Chester service taking place on Sunday 17 September at 3pm at Saint Columba's church in Chester. Pause for Hope is an ecumenical service for those affected in any way by cancer; those suffering from cancer, those supporting those living with cancer, and those who have lost loved ones to cancer. It is an opportunity to come together to support and pray for each other. More information is available on the website http://www.pauseforhope.org.uk
Women’s Weekend- At the Irenaeus Centre on 22nd-24th September. See poster at the back of church for details.
This year’s National Mass for Altar Servers is being hosted by the Archdiocese of Cardiff at the Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Saint David on Saturday 14 October at 12 noon. All altar servers and their families are welcome to attend. Please see poster at the back of church for details.
Parish pilgrimage to Shrewsbury cathedral, on Thursday 19th October. Cost £20 per person to include coach travel and lunch. Please see poster at back of church for details.
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Saturday 2nd 10.00am Cenacle Mass
10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm St John’s Parishioners
Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 3rd 9.30am Susanne Adams RIP
11.00am Holy Souls (St Luke’s)
7.30pm Prayer Meeting
Monday 4th 9.15am Graham Sabino RIP
Tuesday 5th 9.15am Vocations to Religious Life
7.00pm Novena
Wednesday 6th 9.15am Ints Fr Bernard Forshaw
Thursday 7th 7.00pm MASS AT ST ANNE’S ONLY
Friday 8th 9.15am Theresa Rossiter RIP
Saturday 9th 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm Dave Kenny Anniv RIP
Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 10th 9.30am Mary Ebbrell RIP
11.00am Joanne Harries RIP (St Luke’s)
3.00pm Benediction
7.30pm Prayer Meeting
Weekend Masses - Please note that the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed immediately before each Mass. Please use this as a time for prayer and quiet devotion. Please enter the church quietly and remain so. Thank you.
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ST ANNE’S WEEKLY MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday 2nd 6.30pm Refugees
Twenty Second Sunday 3rd 11.15am Sr Marie McGhee 70th Jubilee
Monday 4th 12 Noon UCM
Tuesday 5th 12 Noon James Tyrrell Sp.Int.
Wednesday 6th 12 Noon Jack McCormick Remb.
Thursday 7th 7.00pm Sr Anne Marie Bday.
MASSS AT ANNE’S ONLY
Friday 8th 12 Noon The Hornby Family
Saturday 9th 6.30pm Wilfred White Bday Remb
Twenty Third Sunday 10th 11.15am Kay Harrop 80th Bday
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On Saturday the 16th of September Pat Jones and family members will be doing the Cheshire Memory walk for the Alzheimer’s Society in memory of her husband who died earlier this year. If you would like to sponsor them you can donate on line on the just giving website. www.justgiving.com/MarieWilliams204 or there will be sponsor forms available soon. (when they arrive). Pat is available on 334 0111 or Marie on 201 5556. Thank you.
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