This coming Friday and it is a Holyday of Obligation with Masses being at 9.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.

Saturday is the Feast of All Souls and Mass will be at the normal time of 9.00 a.m.

There are sheets in the porch for you to fill in and return. As is our usual practice here at Holy Cross, a selection of the names on the sheets will be read out at every Mass during November. Leave them on the altar any time.

Mike and Betty Eagan.
Next week: Gerry Doherty and Margaret Nicklas.

Many thanks for your offering of £219.13 last weekend. "It was the old missionary in Africa who gave the tribe of cannibals their first taste of Christianity…."

...was last week but maybe it’s still not too late to read this and ponder on Mission:

Parents Communicate the Gospel when...

• They treat their children with respect and kindness.


• They bring God into their family conversation when it feels appropriate.


• They share with their children their own worries as well as hopes.


• They speak well of all people.


• They take interest in the world of their children.


• They speak of death and illness with Christian hope.


• They work alongside their children in doing some of the family’s chores.


• They express love and affection for their children.


• They pray together as a family.


• They find meaningful ways of helping the needy.


• They monitor and talk about what’s being offered by the media.


• They care for pets and their property.


• They joyfully attend parish events.


• They take time to have fun with each other.


• They try to keep connected with family members at a distance.


• They really celebrate birthdays and other important anniversaries.


• They try to notice if anyone in the family feels down or sad.


• They share food with each other at any time of the day or night.


• They watch TV commercials together and discuss their messages.


• They take walks together in sunshine, rain and snow.

Remember, not this week! The first and third Wednesdays, but not the fifth! See you on Wednesday next, November 6th, at noon.

These are held on the first Wednesdays of each month at the Endsleigh Centre, from 9.30 – 12.00 noon. The next is on November 6th and will be led by Fr. Jim O’Brien, the University Chaplain

...would like to pass on her thanks for all your prayers during her recent illness. They’ve really worked and she’s so appreciative of them. Please continue to keep in your prayers Jim Norton’s brother Phil, who lives in France. He is having treatment for cancer. Arthur Swallow and Eileen Dunn are both in Castle Hill at the moment. Mike Avery had some exploratory tests done in Castle Hill this week. We pray for a good result.

Congratulations on the birth of your latest grandchild, Amy Louise, born at 8.15 a.m. on Monday morning, a brother to Samuel and daughter to Edward and Jill.

...are not to be left behind either. Baby Luke finally arrived, a couple of weeks late, on Wednesday. It is Clare’s fourth son! Remember: "A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on."

What’s the difference between a legalist and a lover? The legalist keeps score and the lover doesn’t. Love thinks of how it might give more, do more, demonstrate love more fully. There are many examples of people who are poor in pocket, but rich in love. More than anything else, God wants to be in a love relationship with you (Gospel). He wants your love more than your obedience or service! But if you love God, you will do these other things.

In a debate on whether the Church costs too much, a man wrote in. He told of how twenty-seven years previously, a beautiful baby girl was born to them. From the start she cost, in clothes, healthcare, education. With university came fees and bank loans. She fell in love, her wedding cost. A year on in marriage she fell seriously ill and died. Since they walked away from her grave, she hadn’t cost them a penny. His remark? If you love someone or something, be it child or church, you’ll give everything you have and won’t mind. Only something dead is no longer expensive.

So are you legalist or lover, alive or dead in how you live your faith? Your life shapes your responses to this great commandment.

We remember in our prayers Dulcie Pullen’s mother, Lena Thresh, who died in Hull Royal on Thursday evening. She was aged ninety-six. May God have mercy on her and give her and all her family peace at this time.

Last week saw us off to a good start. We meet at Helen Halkon’s home, 35, Queensway on Wednesdays at 7.30 p.m. and everyone is welcome. Just bring along a Bible. Sarah provided the refreshments. Helen’s husband Peter is an archeologist at the University. She says that the good thing about being married to an archeologist is that the older you get the more you are appreciated! Get it?

Last week we looked at some of the ‘myths’ that parallelled the Bible stories. This week we look at when this material was written down. We do not know, but very likely it was when Israel became a stable society, with a capital. A capital needs public buildings, a shrine, maybe a temple and … a public library. This would bring us to the time of King David (1000 – 962 BC). But it was clearly edited by a number of hands, each editor introducing particular features and emphases such as were relevant to his (her) time or viewpoint. For example, when the system of numerous shrines was replaced by the one Temple, some editor had the tiresome task of going through all the texts relating to worship and adding repeatedly the words "at the place the Lord directs".

We will not become too detailed here, but experts have detected some of these editorial hands and given them the rather unpoetic names E, J (for two different ways of naming God), P (emphasis on priesthood) and D (emphasis on law; Deuteronomy). Sometimes three or four editorial processes can be observed in the same book.

For the later history, the authors had recourse to other sources; contemporary chronicles (just as Shakespeare used Holinshed’s Chronicle), or land and genealogy registers, to compile all those unpronounceable lists – rather like a Domesday Book cum Somerset House, in fact.

Some Wisdom books seem to be the work of one hand, having a uniform philosophy throughout. Others (Proverbs) are like commonplace books of miscellaneous thoughts. As for the Psalms, this is like a hymn book, a collection of ‘Old and New’. And just as our hymn book has everything from the measured lines of Aurelius Prudentius (born 348) to ‘The world is full of smelly feet’, so the Psalms ‘hymn book’ has everything from an ancient text about creation (psalm 18A), to the latest sing-a-long chorus for pilgrims to the Temple (psalm 135).

As to the prophets who prompted this enquiry, it is hard to say. Jeremiah allegedly had a secretary (probably a rather up-market title for a pupil who kept jottings of his master’s illuminating utterances). Some of the prophetic speeches were probably memorised verbatim (another lost art) at the time, or recomposed to ‘give the gist’. There has clearly been a massive amount of editing; ‘Isaiah’ is the written record of three different prophets.

So, finally we must ask: "The Old Testament, the ‘Word of the Lord’; is it?"

From Les Ulyatt:
Thank you all for your recent donations to help the poor and homeless through the winter. NO wonder the SVP is going from strength to strength with so many parishioners backing our appeals. Once again my garage was full of warm clothing and bedding for a couple of days but now, you will be pleased to know, it is all in the arms of the needy.

God bless you all,

Les

(We don’t need any more at the moment but should the need arise, you’ll be informed.)

And didn’t we have one last Friday? Carmen showed us how to make the ‘perfect’ Spanish Tortilla. And not only did she demonstrate, but she also brought along ‘some she had made earlier’ so we were all well fed by the end of the evening. She removed all the mystery and I’m sure that the twenty people who came along have all tried her recipes during this past week! The only let-down! Jim O’Hare asked where the Spanish Deserts were. Obviously he’s a ‘sweet man’! But he did introduce us to his mother’s famous ‘rice pudding with extras’! This will be demonstrated at a future evening. This coming Friday, after the evening Mass, in the Priory Room, Elka Busch will show us how to make German Bread. The classes will continue every fortnight until……?

...continues with his ‘Walk with St. Paul’ (the early Christians and modern problems) at the Endsleigh Centre this coming Sunday evening from 7 – 9 p.m. Reports so far are excellent, but then what would you expect from Tony?

We will be having a Cake Stall at both Masses next weekend for the "Nurse Charity". ( N.U.R.S.E. – Needed. Urgent.Remedial. Surgical. Equipment). They try to give at least £10,000 worth of equipment to the local Hospitals Trust each year. Come prepared! If anyone would like to bake a cake and leave it on the stall it would be much appreciated. We’re always sold out in no time!

The League of Friends of Castle Hill Hospital are holding a Coffee Morning at the Methodist Church on Hallgate this coming Saturday at 10.00 a.m.

"We pray for the souls of all our departed loved ones. Give them rest and peace, Lord, ‘and may we all meet merrily in heaven’ ." (St. Thomas More)

...Gordon Wishart’s dad who is having heart surgery in New Zealand. And also for his friend Bill’s 17 year old daughter Georgina in Australia who has a large ovarian cyst. Bill read here at Mass some time ago. And also for a friend of Gordon’s, Barbara Young from the village, who is ill at the moment. Gordon went back to New Zealand a while ago looking for work, found none there, and is now back in the UK.

So far forty eight families have sent in forms. We are having problems with some of the dates or lack of dates in some cases. Can you help? John Clark and Mary Horburt, William and Ada Dent, Elizabeth Portz, Peter Smith, George Smith, Marjorie Johnson, Ada and Thomas O’Shaughnessy, George and Beatrice Porter, Lillian Sowerby, Sydney Waterhouse, Margaret and Frank Hall.

Anne Tordoff and Sheila Levett.
Next week: Tricia Leach and Eithne Codd.

St. Mary’s Parish Hall tomorrow, Monday, at 7.45 p.m.

The local ministers, Catholic, Methodist, URC and Christ Church Evangelical, meet every few months for a meal and chat about how things are going in our various ‘patches’. On Tuesday it is the turn of Ian Hill from the Methodist Church to entertain and feed us!

The Club meets at the Station Hotel on the second Tuesday of the month. Lunch is at 12.45 p.m. but we meet earlier in the lounge for a chat among friends. We usually have a speaker, apart from the AGM and one other open meeting. There is an annual dinner to which husbands, friends and clergy are invited, on the second Tuesday in December. The membership fee is £7, payable in June. If any ladies are interested, please come as a guest of either Joan Williams or Jean Kemp before deciding whether or not you would like to join us.

They draw to an end this Thursday with St. Vincent’s Parish leading us in worship. The three evenings so far have been a great success, not just because of the liturgy but also through the meeting together afterwards over a cuppa. Many people have commented on how much they enjoyed the social side of the evenings. Our thanks again to our ‘wonderful’ ladies for serving the refreshments. We begin at 7.30 p.m.

Dotted around our world, particularly in Africa, you will find the graves of early European missionaries. They died tragically young, succumbing to fever and inadequate diet. Why did they do it?

One ship captain records that, against his advice, two Holy Ghost missionaries disembarked in disease-ravaged Sierra Leone. They were not alive when the captain returned that way a few weeks later. Imagine what hopes and expectations for the cause of Christ lie buried in their graves. Yet somehow they knew that God does not ask us to be successful, only faithful. In popular imagination, missionary work consisted either of trying to convert as many people as possible to Christianity or of helping the abject poor. Not exactly the full picture. A missionary is someone whose personality, lifestyle and work embody God’s love for humanity and the world. It’s as much being as doing.
We’ll never know what Peter and Jesus talked about during those few hours at sea, fishing (Luke 5:4). What was it about Jesus which caused Peter to change the direction of his entire life? From chasing fish to hunting souls. Was it those eyes which seemed to read the secrets of Peter’s heart without condemning him? Was it Jesus’ smile. Or was it the aura of authority which seemed to surround this man wherever he went? Be faithful: success is God’s department.

Our next expedition will be to Millington Woods for a ramble led by Peter and Helen Halkon. It’s approx. 4 to 5 miles in length and we’d hope to enjoy the lovely autumn colours and wildlife in the woods. We leave from the church after the morning Mass on Sunday October 27th.
The November Walk will be on Sunday – a short walk round South Cave with Jim and Cynthia Lyons, and back in time for lunch at the Fox and Coney.

Phil Jackson has organised our annual ‘Fish and Chips’ meal at Fridaythorpe for the next day, Monday October 28th. Everyone is welcome, walkers or not. Just let either Phil (847081) or Carmen (844407) know beforehand.

...are organising a concert by the internationally renowned Welsh Male Voice Choir "Cor Godre’raran" at Middleton Hall on Saturday November 23rd. The proceeds are going to Yorkshire Cancer Research. Tickets at £9 are available from Nev Jones (01964 534559) or Rosemary Bennett (01482 844876).

The Cottingham Friends are holding a Coffee Morning in St. Mary’s Church Hall on Thursday October 31st. from 10.00 – 12.00 noon. All the usual stalls. Admission – 50p for adults and 10p for children. Holy Cross representative is Sheila Cundy.

...will be leading an afternoon of Prayer and Reflection at the Endsleigh Centre on Saturday November 9th. from 2.00 – 5.00 p.m. The theme is "Come and See".

We’re looking for warm clothes and blankets, duvets etc. They will be shares equally between the Hull Homeless Project and the Asylum Seekers. Tony Artuso is the parish link with the asylum seekers. Les Ulyatt (845355).

The proceeds go to the Bo Orphanage in Sierra Leone and the St. Charles’ Drop-in Centre.

And it’s the turn of Caroline Rawcliffe this week when she’ll be fifteen. Congratulations from all of us for all you do for us here at Holy Cross!

Shirley will hopefully begin soon to enter the names into our Book. There is a sample page to be seen on the altar. Remember – the names don’t just have to have been people resident in the parish or Catholics. If they’re your family they should be in it. And again, one donation, if you can afford it, covers all your family names, no matter how many sheets you use. There are still plenty in the porch. One of our visitors from Tamworth, at Mass last week, has taken away the idea for her church. And another parish, St. Vincent’s, is hoping to follow our example. And if you, on your travels come across any good ideas, bring them home to us!

This annual parish celebration will be on Sunday November 10th. We meet in Eppleworth cemetery at 3.00 p.m. and are normally finished by 4.00 p.m.

A great response! Now it’s up to you, Marguerite! You can contact her on 888295. There is still time for you to show interest by putting your name on the list in the porch. No strings attached, no dancing in the aisles during Sunday Mass! (At least not yet!). But who knows? With Marguerite anything is possible!

Can I again draw your attention to the poster in the porch. This coming Saturday at Hull University.

The next one begins in January 2003.

Says Bishop John to the clergy:

"As you are aware from your own pastoral ministry, many adults feel that their formation in the faith ended as children. The Catechists Course is part of the diocesan initiative for all adults to receive education for Christian maturity proper to their state and situation in life. For example, many parishes will now consider the needs of the parents when providing sacramental preparation for children, and offer parallel sessions for them. We are committed to the continuing formation of those responsible for leading others into deeper faith. Many parish priests are now looking to their catechists as key people in building collaborative ministry."

If you feel you might be interested, have a word with me. There would be no cost to you, the parish covers all the expenses.

Ann Merivale says: "These cards are expertly made by a woman in East Hull who is completely housebound and who has an Art teacher come to the house to give her lessons. This sale will thus be dual purpose, giving her a sales outlet for her handiwork, which will also help her confidence and hopefully assist with her problems. And she is delighted at the thought of being able also to do something for the SVP."

There are sheets available in the porch for you to write down all those whom you wish to be remembered during our Masses in November. As we’ve always done in the past, the names will be read out during the Masses. This is distinct from the Book of Remembrance. There are other forms for this in the porch also. Please return the November List as soon as possible so that we will have them for All Saints Day on Friday November 1st.

We begin this week, Wednesday to be precise, and the venue will be at Helen Halkon’s home which is 35, Queensway. It will start at 7.30 p.m. and finish at 9.00 p.m. Helen’s number is 847926. Please bring a Bible and a pair of scissors! All will be revealed! (And no, you’re not going to do a Delilah on Samson your parish priest!)

We need to remember that the Old Testament is not a book; it is a collection of books, a small library, if you like. If you go to a library, you do not look for your book on the basis of the date of its being written. You look for it thematically. The Old Testament is arranged that way; history (=law); wisdom (=poetry); prophecy. Just because Genesis 1 is at the beginning does not mean it is the oldest; it is just that the ‘librarian’ has put Genesis at the head of the shelf. Some Biblical material is evidently of very great antiquity, belonging to a very early layer of myth and pre-history. It was doubtless passed down by word of mouth over generations. We must not forget that the ancients had remarkable powers of memory, able to transmit whole myths and epics (their cultural heritage) to successive generations without change or loss of text. This is something we have lost through lack of practice. Some of this myth has much in common with other early civilisations (e.g. the flood story has a Babylonian parallel, though lacking an element of divine mercy). And the epic stories contain all the typical features of narrated epics: gung-ho stories of derring-do that would keep the audience on the edge of their seats. We don’t need to believe that Samson literally tied foxes together by their tails and put firebrands between the knots in order to send them into the enemy cornfields, but it makes an exciting story! (More next week).

...on Italy’s defeat in Wales on Wednesday evening! What more can I say? And don’t mention Switzerland! Or even Macedonia for that matter!

A badminton court, a dance hall, a new, enlarged kitchen, more toilets, a flower arranging room, a room for the cleaners and I could go on! Our ‘committee’ on Tuesday came up with these suggestions as we looked at the new church extension, and many more besides! There were some useful ideas as well and we’ll move on from there as soon as possible. The next meeting will be "Aagh!"

There will be a Coffee Evening at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel on Monday October 21st. at 7.30 p.m. The speaker is Pauline Redman from York on "having a real God in her life". If you’d like a lift, see Diana on 846555.

Teresa and Les Ulyatt (the explorers!).
Next week: Anne Tordoff and Sheila Levett.

According to the UN there are now 1.1 billion people with no access to safe drinking water and about 2.4 billion without adequate sanitation. Over the next two decades the world will need 17% more fresh water to grow food for growing populations in developing countries, and total water use will increase by 40%. By 2025 two-thirds of the world could live in areas facing moderate to severe water stress. "When I was thirsty you gave me a drink……"

With winter rapidly approaching, I would like to make an appeal for any warm clothing or bedding that you can spare.

All donations will be equally shared between the Homeless and the Refugees.

My telephone number is 845355.

In anticipation of your usual generous response, may God bless you all.

Les Ulyatt
(Conference President)

As the result of a suggestion a while ago, there is now one in the porch! John McNicholas will take charge of it, empty it regularly and pass on the ideas to myself and the Parish Council. Will they be acted upon? Wait and see!

This was actually talked about back in 1982 when the present extension was added. And with the expansion of the parish and its activities the subject has come up again. While in Rome I met the diocesan financial secretary, Dr. Jim Whiston, and put to him the idea. Despite the dire financial state of the diocese, he didn’t poo poo it but said that it would be looked at favorably (whatever that means!). Parishioner Jim O’Hare has already made some moves as regards the planning permission etc. and has offered to draw up detailed plans for submission. The next step is to have a parish meeting as soon as possible to look at exactly what we want or need and how to pay for it etc. Can I suggest this Tuesday October 15th. after evening Mass (7.45 p.m.) in the Priory Room? If you can’t be there but would like an input, please let me know in writing beforehand. There’s no point in delaying, hence the quick meeting.

The recent dance at the Civic Hall in the village raised about £3,000 and the three charities benefitting from it will be the Hull Homeless and Rootless Project, the Hull Churches Home from Hospital Service and the St. Charles’ Drop-In Centre.
"The Frank Cleveland Big Band" will again be playing at the Civic Hall this Thursday Oct. 17th. from 8 – 11p.m. and admission will be £4 (on the door).

The ladies of the CWL would like to thank you for supporting this venture a couple of weeks ago. They raised over £75.

Last Saturday was a busy day for the parish with the Fayre and the Recommissioning Day clashing. Both were successful with the Fayre raising about £1,200 for the Orphanage in Bo, Sierra Leone and the St. Charles’ Drop-in Centre. A bit down on last year but at 10.30 a.m. on Saturday we had precisely nothing! So let’s not complain! We also had lots of ‘new’ helpers (hopefully you enjoyed the day) and some of you brought along friends who weren’t parishioners to help also. You now qualify as ‘honorary parishioners’! To all who helped in whatever way, many, many thanks!

‘Do you know any Greek people? We are wanting to have a Greek evening – Greek food, music and dance. It’s a lovely atmosphere and for all people and all ages! Carmen and I have tried to find a restaurant that has Greek dance after the meal but there are none here. (In Cape Town we had). It’s a truly wonderful evening!’

If you are interested have a word with me.

In a moving speech last year Tony Blair said he wanted to ‘heal the scars’ of underdevelopment in Africa. At the same time government departments are underwriting and assisting arms dealers to sell weapons to that continent. A report by CAAT (Christians against the Arms Trade) shows that in 1999 African nations received £52 million in arms in deals with British firms; that rose to £125.5 million in 2000 and was due to top £200 million in 2001. Later this year the government will be giving its backing to one of the continent’s largest arms fairs.

Once again Holy Cross made up the largest contingent (and the most vocal) at the recent series of talks on the Liturgy. The series ends this week with a talk by Fr. Bill Charlton and Finola Barron on "Liturgy for Children and Young People". It’s on Wednesday at 7.30 p.m.

This coming Thursday it is the turn of St. Vincent’s parish to lead us and the final week it will be Holy Name Parish. My thanks to the ladies of the CWL for doing the refreshments, a very important part of the evening giving the opportunity for people to mix and chat. The services are at 7.30 p.m.

"Jesus needs neither books nor doctors of divinity in order to instruct souls; he, the Doctor of Doctors, he teaches without the noise of words."

"To be heard it is not necessary to read from a book some beautiful formula composed for the occasion. If this were the case, alas, I would have to be pitied! Outside the Divine Office which I am very unworthy to recite, I do not have the courage to force myself to search out beautiful prayers in books. There are so many of them it really gives me a headache! And each prayer is more beautiful than the others. I cannot recite them all and not knowing which to choose, I do, like children who do not know how to read, I say very simply to God what I wish to say, without composing beautiful sentences, and he always understands me. For me, prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy; finally, it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus." (Maybe inspired by Leo Murphy!)

We gather again this Wednesday at noon in the Priory Room for food, fellowship and fun! You’re all welcome to join us for a good, cheap, healthy lunch!

We begin this Friday at 7.30 p.m. in the Priory Room and kitchen with our very own Spanish Delight — Carmen! She will be showing us how to make the perfect Spanish Omelette. There is no charge for this extravaganza, just turn up and be amazed! "When I was hungry………" You can find religion in everything!

"Middle age is when a broad mind and a narrow waist exchange places." (Judy Harrington)

(As written by children.)
A Granny is a lady who has no children of her own, so she takes care of other people’s children.
A Granny never says ‘Hurry up’ because they have more time than Mammies.
A Granny answers every question no matter how silly it is.
A Granny doesn’t mind if she reads the same story to us again.
A Granny slows down when she takes you for a walk.
A Granny doesn’t have anything to do except to be there.
Everyone should have a Granny because Grannies give us plenty of time.

Run by Holy Cross, hosted by the Methodist Church, supported by all in the village. Every Thursday at 7.00 p.m. (with a meal) in the Methodist Hall. This week’s talk is: "Why and how should I read the Bible?"

This will take place on Wednesday evenings starting next Wednesday, October 23rd. The venue is yet to be decided, but watch this space for details. It will be repeated and expanded as necessary during the year. Remember, it’s for everyone, experts or not. Just bring along a Bible and a pair of scissors (?). All will be revealed in due time!

In fact Hull Fayre is bringing a lot home this weekend! Helen Wright it would appear hasn’t yet started over in Liverpool. She must be taking after her brother Robert who had the shortest terms and longest holidays when he was studying at Durham! One mother was telling me that the Environmental Health people were checking out her son’s house! They don’t all live in luxury and quite a few are being exploited by unscrupulous landlords. Remind your ‘students’ that they can keep in touch with the parish through our website.

Well, would you believe it, quite a number have signed up for this ‘interesting’ venture. I didn’t notice any ‘liturgical dance’ option. Maybe that’s for the future? The next time we sing "Lord of the Dance" I expect some congregation participation! Can’t wait!

The Catholic Record Society is presenting this day at Hull University (Library Buildings) on Saturday, October 26th. starting at 10.00 a.m. The fee will be £6.50 payable on the day. Everyone is welcome. See the notice in the porch for more details of the various talks etc.

We hope to have a sample page ready quite soon for your perusal. Shirley Woods-McConville has been experimenting with font sizes etc. and layout designs. Obviously the sooner we can collect the names the easier it will be for Shirley to commence entering them in the book. There are still forms in the porch for you to pass on the names. When we say ‘family’ that also includes deceased parishioners and benefactors who may have no one left to remember them. Don’t be afraid to add their names on your lists. We don’t want to forget anyone if we can possibly help it.

A campaign is under way to beatify Fr. Mychal Judge, the popular Franciscan chaplain to the New York City Fire Dept. who was killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th. Fr. Judge, aged 68, rushed to the World Trade Centre armed with holy water to minister to ‘his’ firemen, and was killed by flying debris when the North Tower fell. The Reuters photograph of Fr. Judge being carried out of the chaos, white head bowed and brown habit thick with dust, is already famous. The Pope has solemnly received his fire helmet, and President Bush recently signed the Mychal Judge Bill, which allows the priest’s sisters, as well as other dependents of victims of the attack who were not their children or spouses, to receive compensation. Although Canon Law does not allow the ‘cause’ of a candidate for beatification formally to be brought until five years after his death, there is already a small ‘St. Mychal’ industry, with a website (saintmychal.com), a gift shop and a hagiography. Fr. Judge was a celibate homosexual and recovered alcoholic; both lobbies are promoting his beatification. His own Franciscan province of the Holy Name is not.

After sex and health, religion is the third highest component on the internet. With more than 20 million Christian websites of every shade and persuasion, seven million Islamic ones and a couple of million Jewish sites, the religious searcher is spoilt for choice. So how to navigate a path through all this information? Above all, how is it possible to search at speed? When it comes down to Catholic resources in particular, there is a new answer to this question. Cathport. Or, more accurately www.cathport.com, a Catholic ‘yellow pages’ sponsored by The Tablet. Cathport offers a portal ensuring access to top quality Catholic information available across the broad spectrum of the internet, an opportunity to surf the religious ‘housetops of the world’. Access cathport.com and these resources will be no more than two clicks away from your screen.

We had a very good turn out here on Thursday for our Deanery devotions. We had the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour with Benediction. Change of plan – this coming Thursday Holy Name will be leading us, not St. Vincent’s as originally planned. And they were so impressed with Kathleen’s playing that she has been booked for the final two services! Thanks again to Elizabeth and Jean for doing the refreshments and to Mike for assisting with the washing up! Remember – Holy Cross – 7.30 p.m. – Thursdays.

Starting at the Endsleigh Centre on Wednesday October 23rd. for seven evenings. It’s aimed at any married couples who wish to build a strong and lasting relationship. There are leaflets with more details in the porch. Or speak to Gwen and Peter on 845459.

of St. Andrew’s and Edinburgh to Paul, Gail and sons. (He’s the uncle!).

"Dear Gail, Paul and Boys. Very many thanks for your recent letter. I was delighted to see the beautiful photographs of Michael’s First Communion and to ‘read all about it’, both in the service leaflet and in the parish newsletter. Father Pat does seem to go to a lot of bother in preparing the newsletter – or else one of his parishioners does!" What a cheek! It’s all done by my own fair hand, mistakes and all! I think a letter needs to go up north! First I’m nearly thrown out of St. Peter’s, now this!

"You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day,
by the deeds that you do, and the words that you say.
People read what you write, if it’s false or it’s true.
Now what is the Gospel according to you?"

As a Deanery we have decided to invite the Bishop to confirm our young and not so young parishioners on Wednesday May 24th. 2003. The venue has not yet been decided. It will depend on the numbers coming forward. The lower age for Confirmation will be Year 9 at Secondary School. We may also have some adults who have not yet been confirmed. If you would like to be confirmed, could you please make yourselves known.

• www.sacredspace.ie
– a prayer site for busy computer users.
• www.prayingeachday.org
– a prayer and education site.
• www.clubi.ie/shalom/lectio
– Lectio divina explained.
• www.vatican.va
– The Vatican.

The next one will begin in January 2003. Quite a few parishioners have already completed this very valuable and interesting programme. Says the Bishop: "The Course is offered to fill the need in our communities to have well-trained catechists, commissioned by me, to share in my teaching role in the diocese. The Course is designed to help people deepen their understanding of what it is to be faithful and responsible members of the Body of Christ today, and develop their gifts and the confidence to use them in partnership with yourselves, the priests, in the parishes ." Have a thought and maybe a word with me if you feel you might be interested.

Jeff Hookem celebrated his 50th a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations Jeff from us all and thanks for organising the Badminton Club for us along with Carole.

The O’Reilly Twins celebrate their 20th Birthday this weekend. Both are away at university, Michael in Liverpool and Madeleine in London. But they’re all home for a big celebration this weekend. Peter and Gwen only just made it home themselves, having been in Rome and Assisi for this past ten days.

Sunday October 6th. 7 – 9 p.m. He continues his series of talks entitled: "A Walk with St. Paul – the early Christians and Modern Problems." Tony is always worth listening to and reports of his first talk were excellent!

The next talk will be on Wednesday at the Endsleigh Centre, 7 for 7.30 p.m. and it is called "Other Liturgies – Sacraments etc." and will be given by one of the Ampleforth monks, Fr. Terence Richardson.

We here at Holy Cross are hosting the Deanery Celebrations during this month. St. Anthony’s led the devotions last Thursday and this week it is our turn. We will have a short get together after Mass on Tuesday evening to sort out just what we are going to do. If you’ve any ideas or suggestions, we’d be glad to hear them. The service itself shouldn’t last more than forty-five minutes with refreshments at the end. The following week it will be the turn of the Marist Parish to lead us and the final week will be Holy Name Parish.

It’ll take place this Friday in the Priory Room, 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. prompt!

Bring your own drinks, glasses and refreshments and we’ll supply the questions!

Our Quiz Master will be John Stephenson (last year’s winner). So not many sports questions you’ll be glad to know!

Dennis and Betty Gilson.

Next week: Teresa and Les Ulyatt (the famous Rome explorer).

There was an orchestral concert in a large city and one had to book months in advance to be certain of a seat.

A man attended the concert, found the seat next to him vacant, and so he said to the person near the seat, "Isn’t it amazing to find a seat empty for this concert?"

"Oh," replied the man, "that was for my wife but she couldn’t come."

"Well why didn’t you give the ticket to one of your friends?"

"I couldn’t do that," he said, "they are all at her funeral!"

(Oh, Kathleen!)

A recent Vatican Document 'Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy' has affirmed that cremation is an accepted practice in the Catholic Church. The 1917 Code of Canon Law prohibited cremation. One reason for the Church's opposition to cremation dates back to the days of the Roman emperors when the bodies of martyrs were burned by executioners as a way of mocking belief in the resurrection

These begin on Friday October 18th. here in the Priory Room at 7.30 p.m. Our first offering is from Carmen showing us how to make the perfect Spanish Omelette! This will be followed by Elka Busch on Friday November 1st. (after the evening Mass) who will demonstrate how to make perfect German bread! No need to sign up, just turn up! We may need to resurrect the Waist Watchers Club!

• About 80% of the world’s population has never made a telephone call, let alone used the internet.


• The Internet connects 100 million computers but less than 2% of the world’s population.


• London has more internet accounts than all Africa, and New York has more phones than all rural Asia.


• India’s population of almost 1 billion have 2 million computers between them. The average rural wage in India is £20 a month. Its cheapest computer costs £650.

We hope to begin this on Wednesday October 23rd. There is a list on the table in the porch if you’d like to join in, but feel free to come along anyway. We will repeat it later on in the year. It will last for five weeks. More details next week on time and location.

About twenty of our ministers are being recommissioned this Saturday (today) at York along with hundreds from all across the diocese. Can I again express my gratitude for all you do for us and for our housebound and sick parishioners. Thankfully the days of ‘Communion once a month’ are past, thanks to the generosity of our Ministers. If anyone else would like to help in this Ministry, please have a word with me. The only requisite is that you have been confirmed, there are no age restrictions.

The present course will run at the Methodist Hall in the village on Thursday evenings commencing with a meal at 7.00 p.m. followed by a talk. The talk this week is entitled "How can I be sure of my faith?". We have run several Alpha Courses where people of a church background or none have met together over a meal to examine the Christian faith. Learning and laughter are the keys to the course and help make studying the Christian faith fun. There is no cost. Next week’s talk is "Why and how should I read the Bible?"

I remember looking at you as a child, wondering what your future would hold. I wanted to shelter you from unhappiness and surround you only with wonderful things. I realise now that I could never have done this. For in order to experience happiness, you had to experience disappointment; to enjoy success, you had to have some failures; to feel true love, someone had to break your heart. I couldn’t protect you, but I want you to know I was with you every step of the way. When I look at you now and see the person that has emerged from within, I couldn’t be more proud..

This story is based on another by Francisco Luarca of El Salvador. It is about a tree, the mignonette, and about an Indian – and about all of us.

One day I made fun of the Indian because every day I passed he was sitting under the mignonette tree. "Idler" I said as I went by. "Good afternoon, sir" he replied. Then one day I realised why he was there. The mignonette was dying because it was planted in a place where it didn’t belong. The Indian, who knew so much, and was always listening heard the weeping of the tree and he came to talk to it.

"My beautiful tree" he whispered, "you perfumed the dark hair of the women of my race, and scented the clothes which my grandparents made. You welcome the noisy multicoloured birds and the delicate butterflies. Please don’t die. I am your brother and I will come every day after work and we will talk about the hopes and sufferings of our silent race.

After a short time the dying mignonette brightened up. The breeze stopped moaning and the clouds released a gentle moisture. The tree’s health began to improve.

I, a fool, had sneered at the Indian. "Idler" I said to him. "Good afternoon sir" he replied.

He indeed was the ‘sir’, the educated one who understood the great mysteries of our life and of his own race. Each evening as the setting sun painted the sky red, he would arrive at the foot of the mignonette and recite the kind of poems which are only understood by those creatures which people consider to have no soul. The tree began to laugh again and its leaves started to grow. One morning the gentle perfume of the mignonette wafted across my bed. It was a present for one who understood so little.

That same evening the Indian said, "Sir, tomorrow I’m returning to the mountain. But if you ever notice the tree beginning to wither, will you please send me word."

The College extends a warm invitation to its Open Evening for prospective Parents and Pupils on Wednesday October 9th. at 7.00 p.m. The Open Evening is for prospective parents whose children (DoB 01/09/91 – 31/08/92) will be transferring to Secondary Schools in September 2003. The evening will begin at 7.00 p.m. in the School Hall. Parents and Pupils will then have the opportunity to look round the school and meet the staff and students. Last year there were over 600 applications for 240 places. It must be doing something right!

Kieran Sande is off to Bristol to read English. Clare Nicklas and John Brittain are off to York this weekend also. Have a great time! Remember, you can keep an eye on us through the website.

Estate agents say that prospective buyers have decided whether to buy a house within 11 seconds of entering it. There is not much time for first impressions.

Sometimes it is useful to look at things from a different perspective: to look at our churches and ask what message they give – what do we notice in 11 seconds? Is the exterior noticeboard clear, uncluttered and up to date? Are access routes visible? Is the entrance door welcoming; the porch light. What do the notice boards tell us about the parish community? Are the papers and leaflets organised?

Tasks like these require people to do them and Ushers or Ministers of Welcome can often take responsibility for these important details.

Ushers, however, are primarily concerned with people. Theirs is a ministry of sensitivity, assistance and unobtrusiveness.

• On Saturday evenings and Sundays welcoming the community and the visitor – a sign of Christ’s presence to others but also called to recognise Christ’s presence in others.
• Organised and aware of what is going on – a point of information and help.
• Handing people what they need to participate in a liturgy and during the celebration having an eye to what is going on.

As the Church reflects on its evangelising mission, perhaps one place to start locally is to review our first impressions – people and buildings.

– a student who spent last year with us and who has now started a course at Manchester University.

Dear Fr. Pat,

Thank you for my time at Holy Cross. I very much enjoyed the Masses I attended there and looked forward to them every week. I am grateful for the way in which I was made to feel very welcome and truly part of the community. An invitation to an ‘outsider’ to read at Mass was a surprise and a warm gesture.

Yourself and Holy Cross are an inspiration to the wider community, both Christian and non-Christian. Holy Cross is a great parish and I wish that I was still part of it. It is very warm, happy and welcoming. Your personal charisma adds much to this parish. The way in which you make the people feel part of the celebration is great. Your personal dialogues with members of the congregation were often very humorous.

Holy Cross taught me a lot – more I think than my year at University. Coming to church was also good fun. I very much enjoyed the prayers said at your church. People shouting out bidding prayers is a great idea. I often felt that certain prayers were meant especially for me.

I often think of Holy Cross. I would be grateful if you could extend my thanks to the members of the parish for their warm welcome and friendship.

I am registering at Manchester University to begin a degree course in Religion and Theology. I thought I would write this letter to you as you were away on the last Sunday I attended Holy Cross and I didn’t have the chance to say thank you and goodbye.

With grateful thanks and every good wish.

May God bless you all,

Max Murphy

And his new address:

There are forms in the porch if you’d like to put the names of your relatives into this Book. The suggested offering is £10 for all the names and not for each entry as some of you have understood.

You thought you’d seen it all! Well, what about this? For all those who want to learn to waltz, jive or rock ’n roll, on hopefully Friday nights, this is for you! If you want to teach it, learn it or just do it, let me know. The "Me" person wishes to remain anonymous at the moment but there is a list in the porch for this "Come Dancing" extravaganza!

Come and enjoy Two nights bed and breakfast for the price of one from November 11th. to December 22nd. For further information contact: The Pilgrim Bureau, Friday Market Place, Walsingham, Norfolk. NR22 6DB or telephone 01328 820217. Fr. Michael Simison from the Marist Parish is the Parish Priest there and Fr. Noel Wynn is the Director of the Shrine. Fr. Phil Graystone is also there, so you’d feel at home!

For those who are burdened with the responsibility of office.
For those who are burdened with hardship.
For those who are burdened with anxiety.
For those who are burdened with loneliness.
For those who are burdened with a handicap.
For those who are burdened with a failure.
For those who are burdened with a failure.
For those who are burdened with bitterness.
For those who are burdened with guilt.
For those who are burdened with grief.
For those who are burdened with an illness.
For those who are burdened with old age and infirmity.
For those who are burdened with the feeling that they are a burden to others.
For all our own special needs. LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.

"A closed mind is a weakness, and he who approaches persons or painting or poetry without the youthful ambition to learn a new language and so gain access to someone else’s perspective on life, let him beware…" (Dag Hammarskjold)

"M is for Mother, not for Maid!" (another gem from the pen of Judy Harrington!). Have you any you could share?