Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, 25th August, 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
Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, 25th August, 2024. Cycle B
FAITH IN FOCUS: DAILY CHOICE
Life’s full of choices. Some are not earth-shattering, like the colour of the shoes you decide to put on in the morning or the filling for your sandwich at lunchtime. Others have a lasting if not permanent effect, like the person you ask to spend the rest of your life with or the career you make up your mind to embark upon.
In a spiritually restless society Joshua puts a blunt choice before the people of Israel. If they won’t serve the Lord then who are they going to follow? They decide to follow the Lord their God. When Jesus began to lose his followers as they defected elsewhere, he too offered the twelve apostles the same choice. “What about you, do you want to go away too?” He realised that his teaching on the bread of life was something that many could not stomach. It gave them indigestion and they preferred to take a less spicy diet.
It was Peter who spoke up for them all. There was no point in going anywhere else when Jesus had the message of eternal life. Their choice was for Jesus, the Holy One of God. Every Christian has made the choice for Jesus. But this choice isn’t something that’s in the past. It’s not something that we once made and can now sit back and be relaxed about. Because life has no script we have to face a new scene with each passing day. Choices face us every day of the week, some big, others small. We show our commitment to Christ by continuing to make the choice. Most of us have made a fundamental option for Christ that we are unlikely to turn our backs on lightly. But we still have to keep that preference alive. We have to remind ourselves who it is who motivates us in our thinking and acting. We have to answer Jesus’ question each day: Do you want to go away too?
When we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist we give our reply to Jesus’ question. The Christian community comes to the table of the Lord to eat and drink the food of life and thereby ratifies its unequivocal choice for Christ. After all, as Peter said, where else would we think of going?
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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me; save the servant who trusts in you, O God. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long.
RESPONSE TO THE PSALM: Taste and see that the Lord is good.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: Alleluia, alleluia! Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life: you have the message of eternal life. Alleluia!
COMMUNION ANTIPHON: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, says the Lord, and I will raise him up on the last day
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SUNDAY IS WORLD DAY OF SPECIAL PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION
PLEASE NOTE: Fr Mario will be away throughout August until the first week of September. Some of the priests who help us will also be on holiday. As a result, Weekend Masses will remain the same, but Weekday Masses will be as follows:
St Anne’s: Every Wednesday at 12noon
St John’s: Every Friday at 9:15am.
Devotions/Adoration: Saturday Morning Devotions will be prayed in Church (the Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises) from 10:30am-11:30am. There will be no Confessions during August.
Last Weeks’ Offertory Collection: amounted to £575.15p. Many thanks for your continued support. Many thanks for the anonymous donation received this week which will help towards parish expenses.
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 and days.
Due to the reduction in weekly Masses throughout August, it will not be possible to celebrate Mass on a number of dates requested and the intentions will be placed as near as possible to those dates. I hope you will understand. Many thanks. Ann
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. There will be no teas in August. SUNDAY 1st SEPTEMBER is the next date. There will also be a plant and book sale on 1st September.
Autumn Sale SUNDAY 1st September 2024
Books and Plants
Paperbacks to while away the winter blues; 5 for £1
Nursery grown winter bedding plants: including pansies, primroses, violas, polyanthus and spring bulbs at reduced prices.
Raffle: ticket will be on sale after each weekend Masses
lots of prizes. All proceeds for CHURCH FUNDS
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.
Confirmation 2024 for St John’s & St Anne’s will be held at St Anne’s on Wednesday 27th November at 7.00pm. We would like to invite all young people in Year 7 and above for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Preparation will begin in September. Please speak to Fr Mario and/or contact St John's by email stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com if you would like to receive this special Sacrament.
Face book: St John’s now has a new Face book page which will advertise Mass times & information on various church events. Please ‘like,’ follow & share to make this page more widely known & relevant. To find our page, search on Facebook for St John the Evangelist New Ferry
St John's Altar Servers: We are looking for some more altar servers for our Masses & special occasions. Any boy or girl who has made their First Holy Communion is eligible to become an altar server. If interested, please have a word with Fr Mario or make contact through the parish email stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Parents, grandparents & parishioners -please encourage our young people to become involved in this important ministry.
Walking Shrewsbury Diocese - Fundraising for SVP Holiday Homes and Youth Camps. Kate Birkenhead (SVP Officer for the Diocese) & her partner Colin will be walking the whole of the Shrewsbury Diocese: 200 + miles from New Brighton to Ludlow in South Shropshire, via South Manchester, raising money for our local St Vincent De Paul Society Children’s Camps & Holiday homes. They will take 2 weeks in July/August to complete the walk. All money raised will go towards funding these vital initiatives. https://giving.give-star.com/online/saint-vincent-de-paul-society-england-and-wales/kate-and-colin-are-walking-the-length-and-breadth-of-shrewsbury-diocese
Pause for Hope is an ecumenical service for all those suffering from cancer, those caring for family or friends with cancer, and those affected in any way by cancer. This year the service takes place on Sunday 15th September at 3pm in Saint Columba’s church, Chester. It is an opportunity to come together to pray and to support one other.
WAR MEMORIAL APPEAL: Following the recent request, if you have any information about any of the names on our War Memorial, please would you either email to stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com or push it through the Presbytery door? There has been a good response so far, and it would be great if we could discover something about every name. Thank you.
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Saturday 24th 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm Victims of Violence
Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time 25th 9.30am Brian Corr RIP
7.30pm Prayer Meeting
Monday 26th NO MASS TODAY
Tuesday 27th NO MASS TODAY
Wednesday 28th 12 Noon MASS AT ST ANNE’S ONLY
Thursday 29th NO MASS TODAY
Friday 30th 9.15am MASS AT ST JOHN’S ONLY
Private Intention (MM)
Saturday 31st 10.30am Devotions – Rosary, Divine Mercy & Divine Praises
5.00pm Kevin Fitzpatrick B.day Rem.
Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st 9.30am Janina & Teodor Hanczaryk B.day Annv.
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 & quiet devotion. Please enter the church quietly & remain so. Thank you.
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ST ANNE’S WEEKLY MASS INTENTIONS
Saturday 24th 6.30pm Thanks giving for prayers answered Novena for St. Joseph
Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time 25th 11.00am Mary Mercer 1st Annv.
Monday 26th No Mass today
Tuesday 27th No Mass today
Wednesday 28th 12 Noon MASS AT ST ANNE’S ONLY
All parishioners of our 3 parishes & young people
Thursday 29th No Mass today
Friday 30th No Mass today
Saturday 31st 6.30pm Nijole Kelly RIP
Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 1st 11.00am James Armstrong Anniv.
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Pope Francis's Intentions for August
We pray that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and for the common good, especially caring for the poor and those who have lost their jobs.
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