Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 17th November, 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
Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, 17th November, 2024. Cycle B
FAITH IN FOCUS: THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE
You don’t hear much about hell these days. Many preachers prefer to stay away from talking about it, opting instead to concentrate on the more positive side of our lives in Christ. And on one level this is perfectly good. No one wants to hear fire and brimstone sermons intended to frighten people into being Christians. And despite reports to the contrary, the bible is not full of pages detailing dire threats to those who don’t behave. It’s full of scenes that seek to depict and reveal the love and tender concern of our God. For God promises a life of eternal bliss to those who trust in his promises. But he doesn’t force himself on anyone. He allows each of us the right to choose. We can accept his way of life for us or we can decide to reject it in favour of some other way of living that we decide is more convenient. So when people are confronted with the idea of hell they seek to neutralise it. If God is such a loving person, they say, then he will never “send” anyone there. He’ll just embrace everyone in one great act of forgiveness and friendship. So there’s no need to be concerned with how we behave here on earth since God will take care of things when we eventually die. This is very comforting. But it’s not what the bible says and it ignores what Christ teaches his disciples on many occasions. Jesus makes it very clear that God accepts the choices we make either for him or against him, and that we must learn to live with them. Eternally. If God allowed us to do whatever we liked without consequence and simply overrode our decisions then we would be nothing more than pawns in a grotesque game of divine chess. We would be like robots, thinking that our choices were important when all the while we were simply acting in a play whose ending we cannot shape. Our free-will and our liberty would have been compromised. But God has more respect for us than this. He lets us make our free choices. And he tells us that they matter. Eternally.
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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: The Lord said: I think of peace and not of affliction. You will call me, and I will answer you, and I will lead back your captives from every place
RESPONSE TO THE PSALM: Preserve me , God, I take refuge in you.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Alleluia, alleluia! Stay awake and stand ready, because you do not know the hour when the Son of Man is coming. Alleluia!
COMMUNION ANTIPHON: To be near God is my happiness, to place my hope in the God the Lord.
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PLESSINGTON YR 8 will be celebrating Mass in church on Monday, 18th November.
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 11.00am- 11.30am.
From now on all morning services will take place in St Anne’s house and from Monday 28th October at St John’s Monday and Friday Masses will be held in the Day Chapel, Tuesday and Wednesday Masses will remain in the main Church.
Last Weeks’ Offertory Collection: amounted to £693.10p. Many thanks for your continued support.
Clergy Education & Training Fund: St John’s & St Luke’s joint collection amounted to £333.90p. Many thanks for your continued generosity and support.
THE CRISIS IN SOUTH SUDAN: There will be retiring collections for the work of the SVP in South Sudan after Mass on 30th November and 1st December. This is a joint collection between St John’s & St Luke’s SVP Conferences. Poverty and extreme hunger continue to rise estimates of at least 1.4 million children under the age of 5 are suffering from acute malnutrition. Alongside extreme hunger and destitution many face displacement, unaddressed health issues, bereavement and homelessness. Thankfully with your continued donations, SVDP South Sudan can continue to run their life-saving projects and provide hope and assistance to those suffering.
Bookings for the reception & Celebration of Sacraments: Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation & Wedding, Please enquire & arrange for these through the parish emails / Secretaries of St. Anne’s & St. John’s. Also contact the Parish Priest/ Administrator through 0151-645-3314 You can also get in touch with Carol Dalziel on 7808975011 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 and days.
In Memoriam: Please pray for the repose of the soul of Eileen Spencer who died recently. Funeral Mass will be held here at St John’s on Tuesday, 3rd December at 10.00am followed by Landican at 11.30am. Please keep Eileen and her family in your prayers.
Please also pray for the repose of the soul of Monsignor Peter Walton who died recently. Vigil Mass at St Alban’s, Wallasey, Monday 18th November at 7pm. Requiem Mass on Tuesday, 19th November 11.30am, followed by Frankby Cemetery. May Eileen and Monsignor Peter and all the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ. Please also keep their families in your prayers at this time.
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. The next date is SUNDAY 8th December . For this popular social gathering to continue more volunteers are needed. If you can spare some time, please contact Noelene Evans on 645-6055.
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. Please also take a copy of the Advent Reverse Calendar on the table at the back of church.
Confirmation 2024 for St John’s & St Anne’s will be held at St Anne’s on Wednesday 27th November at 7.00pm.
Assisted Dying: You are encouraged by your Bishop to write to your MP, Alison McGovern, to express your concern over the Euthanasia Bill before Parliament, promoting end-of-life procedures. DO TAKE ACTION. Also petition online – “Go Citizen” to register your concerns. Please take the time to make your feelings known to your MP before 29th November.
The Bishop’s Office has been contacted by the Director of Operations at ‘Right to Life’ regarding the disability campaign group Not Dead Yet UK, who are a network of people with disabilities who oppose assisted suicide. By 16th November postcards from Not Dead Yet UK will be delivered to every Catholic church in the country. Parishioners can use these to easily contact their MP to encourage them to vote against assisted suicide. You are encouraged to send the postcard to your MP in good time before the vote on 29th November.
Recruitment process for the Diocesan Director of Schools role: further details can be found at https://www.tes.com/jobs/vacancy/director-of-schools-birkenhead-2130729 .If you would like further information or candidate pack and application form please contact Liam Dowds, Emmaus Advising Consultant, on 01737 652 043 or email at ldowds@emmausleadership.me
Two Administrator Vacancies, (full time: 35 hours and part time: 25 hours) have arisen within our Inter-Diocesan Fuel Management Department, which is a Catholic organisation purchasing gas, electricity, fuel oil and biomass for all Catholic Dioceses in England and Wales. Salary: £23K to £25K (pro rata) depending on experience. Further details can be found via our Diocesan website https://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/latest-vacancies/ completed application should be sent to Pauline McCulloch, recruitment@dioceseofshrewsbury.org Closing date Friday 29 November 2024.
Rosary Service to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be held at St John’s on Thursday, 21st November at 2pm. Speaker: Fr Humphrey O’Connor. All most welcome. See poster at the back of church.
The Joint 3 Parishes Christmas Party is on Sunday 1st December 1-5pm at St Anne’s Social Club. Raffle tickets will be on sale on the day. Donations for prizes will be gratefully accepted in the box at the back of church. There will also be live music. Many thanks. Diane Baylis
3 Framed Wedding Photographs have been discovered in the Presbytery. They are possibly different generations of the same family and are on the table at the back of church. If you recognise anyone I would be grateful if you could let me know so they can be returned to their rightful owner/s. Thank you. Ann Murray.
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Statement by the Bishops of England, Wales, and Scotland
BE COMPASSIONATE
As Catholic Bishops in England and Wales, and in Scotland, we believe that genuine compassion is under threat because of the attempts in Parliament to legalise assisted suicide. ‘Compassion’ means to enter into and share the suffering of another person. It means never giving up on anyone or abandoning them. It means loving them to the natural end of their life, even if and when they struggle to find meaning and purpose. Compassion means accompanying people, especially during sickness, disability, and old age. This kind of genuine compassion is witnessed through the care and respect we show to people with terminal illness as they complete their journey in this life.
We appeal to those who share our Catholic belief in human dignity and sanctity of life, including fellow Christians, other religious people, and people of reason and good will, to join with us in defending the weakest and most vulnerable who are at risk through this proposed legislation.
Life is a gift to be protected, especially when threatened by sickness and death. Palliative care, with expert pain relief, and good human, spiritual, and pastoral support, is the right and best way to care for people towards the end of life. More adequate funding and resources for hospices and palliative care teams authentically serve and honour our shared human dignity. In the discussion around assisted suicide, so much is made of freedom of choice and autonomy; but autonomy is not absolute and must always be placed within the context of the common good of society as a whole. People who are suffering need to know they are loved and valued. They need compassionate care, not assistance to end their lives.
Assisted suicide raises serious issues of principle. The time given for Parliament to consider the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which will permit assisted suicide is woefully inadequate. Although the Bill indicates safeguards will be in place, the experience of other countries where assisted suicide has been introduced shows that such promised safeguards are soon forgotten. In Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and parts of the USA, the criteria for assisted suicide have been expanded significantly, in law or in practice, often to include people with mental illness and others who have no terminal diagnosis. It is not always easy to predict the length of time a person with a terminal illness has to live, making this Bill unworkable.
We are alarmed by the impact that legalisation will have on the most vulnerable members of our society. The option to end life can quickly, and subtly, be experienced as a duty to die. Some may well feel their continued existence is a burden to others, and, implicitly or explicitly, be pressured into assisted suicide. This includes people who are elderly, infirm, and living with disabilities. The protection of such people is the foundation of civilised society. It is at the heart of good government.
We are also concerned that this Bill will fundamentally damage the relationship between medical practitioners and their patients. It will potentially lead to pressure on medical staff to recommend or facilitate such procedures. Will the right to conscientious objection for individuals and institutions be guaranteed? The impact on hospices, care homes, and those who work in social and community care cannot be underestimated. It will radically alter the ethos of trust and support which underpins our service to those in need and their families.
We urge all people of good will to oppose this legislation and, instead, to advocate for better funded palliative care which is consistently available to everyone in need in England, Wales, and Scotland. Please inform yourself and others about this issue and contact your Member of Parliament to make your opposition known, asking him or her to oppose or not support the Bill.
As Catholic Bishops, we call upon all Catholics, and invite all those who share our Christian faith, to turn in prayer to God our Father. Please pray that the dignity of human life will be protected and defended. On the cross, Christ united Himself to every form of human suffering and every person who suffers. In Him, life is changed, not ended. He shows us, in His own crucified and risen body, that love is always stronger than death.
14 th November 2024
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Saturday 16th 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm Josephine & Michael Murray RIP
Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 17th 9.30am Brian Robert Jones Bday Rem RIP
7.30pm Prayer Meeting
Monday 18th 9.15am PLESSINGTON Yr 8 MASS IN CHURCH
Pray for the Sick, Health Workers & Carers
Michael Coughlan Snr RIP
Tuesday 19th 9.15am Joe Moore Anniversary
Wednesday 20th 7.00pm MASS AT ST JOHN’S ONLY
Betty Fryer RIP
Thursday Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 21st NO MASS
2.00pm Rosary Service
Friday 22nd 9.15am Dec’d Fam/Friends of Barrett Family
Saturday 23rd 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm Ints of Community Pluscarden Abbey
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe 24th 9.30am For Young People around the World
7.30pm Prayer Meeting
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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 16th 6.30pm Ann Vesey RIP
Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 17th 11.00am Franklin Family
Monday 18th 12 Noon For the Sick, Health Workers & Carers &
Michael Coughlan RIP
Tuesday 19th 12 Noon For all Victims of War
Wednesday 20th MASS AT ST JOHN’S ONLY
Thursday 21st NO MASS
Friday 22nd 12 Noon Alan Quinney RIP
Saturday 23rd 6.30pm Mona Heaney RIP
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe 24th 11.00am Tom McGenity RIP
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Please pray for the repose of the soul of Michael Coughlan Snr. (Fr Michael Coughlan’s father). Fr Michael is well known to St John’s as he has helped Fr Mario with the weekend Masses. Please keep Fr Michael and his family in your prayers at this time and may Michael Snr. and all the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ.
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