The church is open all day from dawn till dusk. Have you seen it, apart from on Sunday? SUNDAY OCTOBER 26TH 2003 30TH WEEK OF THE YEAR HALF-TERM HOLIDAY Today's Gospel: We've all been there. What seems like the 300th. attempt to get out of the door, only to be called back to answer the phone, referee a domestic crisis or whatever. Jesus was leaving Jericho for Jerusalem, the place of his destiny. He could be forgiven for his mind being elsewhere. But as in so many cases, the interruption can turn out to be our real work of the day. Jesus, surrounded by endless requests and wearied by miles of walking, looked human need again squarely in the face and asked: 'What do you want me to do for you?' Not a callous request to an obviously blind man who needs his sight. The question was whether Bartimaeus knew this. Jesus simply asked the man to be specific in his prayer. Have you ever named that need precisely, squarely? Do you ask in a single-minded way and without distraction? Or is your prayer a lot of 'Bless this' and 'Help that' and 'Strengthen him' and 'Encourage her'? Vague and general? Want to be a better person, mother, father, priest? Then in what way name that need. 'What do you want me to do for you?' How we answer that question could say a great deal about how well we know ourselves and our real needs. |
Word of Wisdom from Sheila Levett: "An egg without salt is like a kiss without a squeeze." (At Mass on Friday!)
Counters this week: Sheena Pike and John McNicholas.
Next week: Jean and John Gray.
Great News! "Dear Mr. McNicholas, Our Humber Advisory Panel and the Directors of this Company have now considered carefully your application for aid under the above scheme (The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme). I am pleased to inform you that Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd has decided to allocate a grant of up to £20,515.00 towards the eligible costs of your project, subject to the following: Your project being registered with the scheme's regulator ENTRUST. WREN will apply for this registration on your behalf and the process will take at least one month. It is very important that you do not start work on your project until you have indicated your agreement to WREN's terms and conditions by signing and returning our contract. Failure to act in accordance with this note will result in this allocation being withdrawn "
Engraved Bricks: We haven't been able to proceed with the engraving of the bricks until we received the news of the grant from WREN. So it's all go now! The engraving will take up to two months so we must as soon as possible send off all the details to the firm doing them. You've only got a couple of weeks at the most to make up your mind if you want your family name to be on the inside wall of the room, forever! (Or any other name for that matter). Once the wall is up, that's it! Can I again thank Peter Dyas for coming up with the idea, through it we have raised over £15,000! (Not to mention his swimming either!).
P.S. On the last count we have over 250 bricks paid for!
Italy sees red: "Sir, Having spent six years in Rome, I can advise that mingling with a group of priests will not assure safe passage across Roman roads, but may hasten passage to the Pearly Gates."
October National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: A parishioner writes: "As a parishioner who has been there with a very positive result, please do check yourself regularly."
"You don't stop doing things because you're old. You grow old because you stop doing things."
Family Fast Total: Leo tells me that you gave £734.82 of which £515 was gift-aided, which added another £144.20 making a total of £879.02. Many, many thanks!
Autumn Fayre Total so far: Again Leo says that on the day we raised £1,313 plus another £50 from the Hull City tickets that Peter Dyas disposed of, and to this will be added what we made at the Parish Quiz on Friday.
Money Out this week: Three parishioners are doing the Diocesan Catechists Course. This is a parish expense and Unit Three costs £72.50 each = £217.50. The recent Formation Talks on prayer at the Endsleigh Centre attracted 26 people from here at a cost of £3 per head = £78. The latest issues of Word for Today, 150 copies at 50p = £75.
Letter in The Times this week: (for Judy Harrington)! "Sir, I understand that, with a print order of 130 million, the Ikea catalogue for 2004 is likely to be read by more people this year than will read the Bible (The Sunday Times, Oct 5th). If that is the case, do you not agree that the press is devoting too many column inches to the irrelevant problems of the Anglican and Catholic Churches?"
Blessed Mother Teresa: The Hull Co-Workers of Mother Teresa invite you to a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Bede's Church, Staveley Road on Saturday 15th. November at noon. After the Mass and lunch at 2.00 p.m. there will be two speakers. Mrs. Janet Tempest, the former regional link of co-workers and Brother Ben who works with alcoholics and drug addicts in Manchester. Please being a packed lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided. More details from Frances Brady on 815723.
"Our last fight was really my fault My wife asked: 'What's on the TV?' and I replied 'Dust'.
Holy Cross Parish Catholic Women's League: This year we celebrate our 50th. Birthday since our foundation in the parish. Our 10.00 a.m. Mass today is in thanksgiving for all the work done by the League and for all the support given to us by the parishioners over the years, without which we couldn't have done half as much!
The Beast of Bolsover has a new line in gags. Veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner told the Parliamentary party meeting last week that they are getting overexcited about spin doctors: "What's all the fuss about spin? Major had spin doctors, Thatcher had them, even Jesus Christ had them in fact, he had twelve and one of them stabbed him in the back!"
Finding God:
I searched the churches, he was not there.
I looked at the faces in the street, he was not among them.
I sat in the park, where was he?
I asked but no one understood the questions.
I prayed, and the words produced an echo, but where was God?
I gave up and wept, lonely, cheated, desolate, aching.
And then someone saw me, came and shared my grief.
It was then that I knew God was there in the heart of all who care.
He had heard my prayer, knew about the questions, knew the grief blinded me to enjoying his beautiful world the trees and the flowers in the park. He had heard my prayer and answered.
The second half of this week's newsletter will follow shortly!
The church is open all day from dawn till dusk. Have you seen it, apart from on Sunday? SUNDAY OCTOBER 19TH 2003 29TH WEEK OF THE YEAR Mahatma Gandhi on Prayer: "I am neither a man of letters nor of science, but I humbly claim to be a man of prayer. It is prayer that has saved my life. Without it I would have lost my reason long ago. If I did not lose my peace of soul, in the midst of my many trials, it is because of the peace that came to me through prayer. One can live several days without food, but not without prayer. Prayer is the key to each morning, and the lock to each evening. It is a sacred alliance between God and us. Let everyone try this experience, and they will find that daily prayer will add something new to their lives, something which cannot be found elsewhere." |
Counters this week: Gerry Doherty and Margaret Nicklas.
Next week: Sheena Pike and John McNicholas.
"Dear God " Thousands of letters sent each year to God end up in a sorting office in Jerusalem, it emerged this week. According to Associated Press, the letters arrive from all over the world in the city's undeliverable mail department. "We have hundreds of thousands of letters sent to either God or Jesus Christ and for some reason they all come to Jerusalem," said a Post Office spokesman, Yitzhak Rabihiya. In one letter an Israeli man asked God for 5,000 shekels (£677) to ease his poverty. Postal workers were so moved that they sent him 4,300 shekels (£582). "After a month the same person writes again to God," Mr. Rabihiya explained, "but this time he writes: ' Oh, thank you God for the contribution, but next time please don't sent it through those postmen. They're thieves; they stole 700 shekels'."
Autumn Fayre: As I write this the Fayre hasn't actually taken place, but your response over the past week in bringing in items has been wonderful. And no "rubbish" either! All we pray for now is a good turnout on Saturday morning to help us get rid of all the stuff! Maybe Phil Jackson's running off to the Eden Project with half the parish (thanks Ray!) has galvinised the rest of us and especially Linda who has taken on Phil's mantle (just for this year, Phil, take note!). But thanks again for your support and the profits will go to our twinned parish in Sierra Leone and the St. Charles' Drop-in Centre who are always in need of funds and foodstuffs.
Parish Quiz: Our annual Autumn Quiz evening will take place on Friday October 24th at 7.30 p.m. in the Priory Room. Questions for all levels and topics are promised! Please bring your own drinks and nibbles will be supplied. It'' always a good fun evening, and not taken too seriously! See you there?
Tuesday Evening Mass returns to the normal time of 7.00 p.m. this week after the revised time of 6.30 p.m. for the past four weeks. The series of talks on different aspects of prayer ended last Tuesday with Fr. Colman Ryan and he was wonderful, one of the best talks we've heard for a long time. Holy Cross was well represented throughout the month, as usual!
Martin House Hospice: There will be a Coffee Morning in St. Mary's Church Hall on Thursday 30th October from 10.00 a.m. till noon (half-term week). Admission is 60p and there will be the usual Martin House goods, Christmas cards, Cake Stall and Raffle. Anyone who would like to bake a cake for the stall would be greatly appreciated as more cake makers are needed! Just deliver it on the day or speak to our parish contact, Sheila Cundy on 845342.
Wanted! Handyman for all sorts of jobs fair rate, for a parishioner. (And scored out on her note was 'must be 6 foot tall and good looking!'). I have the details if you're interested.
November Dead List: November is the month of the Holy Souls when we remember especially our deceased relatives and friends. As we do every year, there are forms in the porch for you to take home, write on the names of all those whom you wish remembering at Masses during the month, then return then during the next couple of weeks. Please do not enclose any money with the forms. Just leave them on the altar.
Cemetery Sunday: Another Holy Cross tradition when we visit and bless the graves in Eppleworth Cemetery. This year we will do it on Remembrance Sunday, November 9th. We'll gather in the cemetery at 3.00 p.m. and we should be finished by 4.00 p.m. Each year we have around forty people with us and we always end with prayers at the grave of Fr. McEntegart who was the first parish priest of Holy Cross from 1939 1957. He died at Cottingham on October 20th 1957. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Sick Parishioners: Please continue to remember in your prayers Claire Britton who had her first eye operation during the week and is awaiting an operation on the second. Marian Hall's eldest sister Kathleen Doherty had a coronary during the week and is in hospital intensive care over in Derry. Pat and John McNicholas's son-in-law Michael Yates is recovering after an operation. Also Marion and John Boland, John Gavin, Veronica Homan, Phil Norton, Mary Davidson's brother Chris, Pat Falvey, John Andrews, Roy Caley, Margaret and Peter Price, Mary Guazelli, David Parkinson, Doreen Fletcher, and Patrick Hanson.
Birthdays: Patrick Gorman will celebrate his 33rd Birthday this coming Thursday and Euan Fuller had his last Tuesday.
"A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'honour thy father and thy mother', she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shalt not kill.'"
Anniversaries this coming week:
Saturday Mark Morkos (Angela's dad).
Monday Fr. Tomas McEntegart and Peter Gilson (Betty and Dennis' son).
Tuesday Rose Heenan.
Thursday Joan Atkinson, Michael Woods-McConville (Tony's brother), John Wood (Brian's brother), Frank Tolhurst (Diana Ormiston's dad) and Winnie Bainbridge (Pat Wright's mother).
Friday Elsie Crawford.
Sunday Patricia Cook.
Letter the The Times: "Sir, Whilst staying with friends in Rome recently I was assured that the only safe way to approach a pedestrian crossing was to mingle with a group of nuns. Seemingly, Italian drivers regard it as unlucky to run over a nun." (Is that right, Peter?).
Diary Date: Saturday November 29th at the Civic Hall. The Hull Lourdes Sick Fund are arranging a dance with a Live Band, Red Square, who, take it from me are excellent and who play a mixture of Blues and Rock n' Roll. An absolutely wonderful night is guaranteed! It starts at 8.00 p.m. and the tickets will be £5. It's all for a very good cause!
Lourdes Youth Pilgrimage 2004: May 27th June 4th. It's that time again! Have you thought about coming with us? As usual the parish will pay half the cost for each young parishioner. The total cost will be about £320 which makes it £160 to you! Spread the word among your friends at school. Maybe their parishes will help subsidise them too? Normally we take from Year 8 upwards but exceptions will be made for 'mature' Year 7's (if we have any of them!).
A man asks his Guru, "Do you have anything that stops the aging process?" The Guru responds, "Sure, what kind of disease would you like?"
"Have you heard of the dyslexic cow Buddhist who attained enlightenment? It kept on repeating OOOOMMM!"
"A little girl became restless as the priest's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, 'Mummy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?'"
| "They hold beliefs that affront rationalist orthodoxies and their leaders preach a code that clashes with the values of the contemporary West. In recent years, a tiny minority of them perpetrated some monstrous and well-publicised outrages upon the innocent, and now it is common for them all to be looked on with suspicion or scorn. For however many generations they might have live din this country, they will always be seen as essentially foreign." I am writing, of course, about Roman Catholics. Recently Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Birmingham, issues a public protest at the manifestation of growing prejudice against the Roman Catholic Church. He complained of either 'malice towards the Church' or 'a total lack of judgment or of managerial responsibility within the BBC News and Current Affairs Department'. He says it has involved 'unscrupulous reporters trying to recirculate old news' to make programmes about clerical sex abuse that are 'biased and hostile'. He complained that the BBC plans to mark the Pope's Silver Jubilee and the beatification of Mother Teresa with a Panorama programme called 'Sex and the Holy City'. He laments that the BBC has a satirical cartoon called Popetown in the pipeline. 'These are offensive initiatives,' he says. Of course they are. They are meant to be. The liberal establishment despises the Catholic Church because the Church is a living rebuke to the materialism through which we allow ourselves to be controlled. The Church tells us we have the choice of doing good or ill; the World offers us the 'right to choose' to do anything we want so long as it doesn't get in the way of anyone else's right to exercise theirs."
"Under such an inversion of the moral order, society becomes an accommodation of selfishnesses, family life is reduced to conjugal anarchy and the pursuit of pleasure replaces happiness and joy. Sex is not for love, but for shared gratification; one is not blessed with children, one chooses to have them when it is convenient. This isn't what the masses want to hear and yet this is what the Pope repeatedly tells them. Of course, he is not the only spiritual leader to see things like this, but the Pope is a high-profile figure and the Pope is (and usually has been) a foreigner. This has always counted against him in this country at least, it has done so since the English Reformation. Here, anti-papal prejudice runs deep, and it frequently bubbles unpleasantly to the surface. These days, to mention that our Prime Minister has been seen attending Mass with his wife is usually to slight him; it is thought to be somehow not quite British to scuttle about in the half-light of Westminster Cathedral's Byzantine interior when there is the open, four-square Abbey up the road. And I cannot be the only Catholic to have noticed that when my religion comes up in conversation, I often notice a little tremor of the eyebrow of my interlocutors that seems to say 'Ah so you're not really one of us'. Not least of the reasons for seeing me and other practising Catholics as outsiders is that we certainly have some pretty grim recent history to live down. Catholics, of necessity, consort with priests; unfortunately, the word most people associate with priesthood these days is not piety, but paedophilia. But it is a good thing for Catholics to feel uneasy. No Christian should fit too comfortably in this world, for the Christian goal is not material success here, but happiness in the next. The Archbishop should take heart. The fact that his Church is mocked and reviled by those that espouse the secularist agenda is a sign that it is doing its job." (Michael McMahon, The Times, Sept 30th 2003) |
One World Week: The churches in the village are celebrating this with a Party and Quiz at the Methodist Church on Thursday October 23rd at 7.00 p.m. Tickets will be £2. The quiz is being set by Peter O'Reilly (for a consideration he might .?).
Parish Prayer Circle Intention for Friday: "We remember all those people who once were able to be with us at Mass and who now depend on the generosity of parishioners to bring them Holy Communion, that they may still feel themselves to be part of the community of Holy Cross."
Bricks: We're having a late run on them, but don't leave it too late or you might be disappointed! We'll have to send off the order fairly soon and then that's that! When the wall is built it'll not be a question of 'Pink Floyd' 'Just another brick in the wall'. When the wall is done, it is done!
Parish Walsingham Pilgrimage: Twenty-five people so far have signed up for what will be a very enjoyable weekend away. It will culminate in the Walsingham Carol Service at the Shrine on the Sunday afternoon. We have also planned trips to Wells-next-the-sea and other sights as well. There is still time to get your name down. It only costs £50 and includes all meals.
Parish Insurance Premiums 2003/2004:
Sum Insured Contents Premium
Church 453,442 33,140 851.09
House 132,781 37,216 297.35
Fr. Tony's house 94,468 316.24
Total payable including Premium Tax 1,550.88
August 31st 1962 September 2nd 1962 April 25th 1971
Do any of these dates have any special significance for you or for any of your family? If so, have a word with me and I just might have something special for you! First come, first served!
C.S. Lewis: 6.30 p.m. Mass versus 10.00 a.m. Mass. And the result? 6.30 2 10.00 18 (including one Malcolm Muggeridge!). You make up your own minds!
More from Tony "Ginger" Simmonds:
Singing Day with Christopher Walker: He is one of the most prolific writers of modern church music today and we are very lucky to have come to St. Anthony's on Tuesday January 6th from 9.30 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. John Wright has organised the day. The Catholic Primary Schools in the area are using the day as a Training Day and paying the costs, but the day is open to all. It would be useful to have some idea of numbers. There is a sheet to sign in the porch.
Our Pastoral Area is having a meeting at St. Anthony's on Wednesday November 12th at 7.30 p.m. to look at the topic: "The Church in Hull in 2010, with specific reference to our own area where at least one of the churches will be closed in the next few years." If you'd like to attend have a word with me. Each parish is asked to put forward about four representatives for the meeting.
Catholic Chaplaincy Event: Next Sunday at 7.45 p.m. the guest speaker will be Fr. Michael Coleman S.M.
Alpha Programme: There are two series running in the parish. Wednesday evening in the Priory Room at 7.00 p.m. with a meal, and Thursday morning at Shirley and Tony's, 1, Arlington Ave. Tel: 842285. Aralda produced the meal on Wednesday and what a meal it was! And she wants to come back and do it again. And we are also indebted to Brian for coming along and doing the washing up!
The Journey in Faith Programme is now on a Thursday evening at 7.30 p.m. in the house. Sorry, no meal!
Mass Intentions for the coming week:
Saturday 6.30 Tony Coyle (RIP)
Sunday 10.00 Betty and Robert Carvlin
Monday 9.00 Bridget Downey
Tuesday 7.00 Edna May Holwell
Wednesday 9.00 Alf Nolan
Thursday 9.00 Special Intention
Friday 9.00 Gerry Bloor
Saturday 9.00 The Parishioners
Saturday 6.30 George Formby
Sunday 10.00 Doreen Reekie
The church is open all day from dawn till dusk. Have you seen it, apart from on Sunday? SUNDAY OCTOBER 12TH 2003 28TH WEEK OF THE YEAR HULL FAIR WEEK Today's Gospel: A Cluttered Heart strange how it's always someone else who is rich, never ourselves. It's even stranger that those who have least often give the most while the more people have, the less inclined they can be to give. Curious how our possessions can possess us. Enter this rich man but why did he come? He seemed to have it all. Maybe he climbed the ladder of life, only to find it was perched against the wrong wall. Perhaps he realised that he couldn't take wealth with him and this eternal life Jesus spoke of was the very thing he lacked. He was a young, keen, vigorous, probably well-connected candidate. Modern leaders would do everything possible to ensure they signed him up but not Jesus. God's love never compromises with truth. He's told he lacks one thing and is given five commands: Go! Sell! Give! Come! Follow! What did he think as he trudged away? 'This is completely impractical! I have obligations. It's unfair. I bet he never asked others to do that.' Living the Christian life means following your Lord, no matter what. He asks us to stay in tough situations, to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable. What would Jesus say is lacking in you, as he gazes upon you with steady love? And would we go away sad: owning much, but possessing nothing of real value? |
Friday October 17th The 25th Anniversary of the election of Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II. Fr. Bill Charlton has recently returned from Rome and the word there is that the Pope is suffering from stomach cancer and may have only a short time to live. We pray for him that he won't suffer too much.
Counters this week: Joan and Peter Watts.
Next week: Gerry Doherty and Margaret Nicklas.
Sponsor Les Ulyatt: Would you like to sponsor Les to leave the country for the next seven months? It's nothing to do with Teresa's recent retirement! He noticed that during his recent holiday Hull City scored twelve goals! Could there be any connection? (Can I have your pass while you're away, Les?). And Matt Stephenson, who writes in the Hull Daily Mail, this week said, "Of course, there's still plenty of time for it all to go horribly wrong. But this time it feels like we've got someone on our side. Maybe it's God. Maybe Stuart Elliot brought him." (He is a born-again Christian Hull City football player from Northern Ireland, and proud of it!).
Journey in Faith Programme: We started last Monday with a good turn-out. But Thursday seems to be a better evening so from now on we'll be meeting in the house at 7.30 p.m. and finishing before 9.00 p.m. For those who wish, the course will end with reception into full Communion with the Catholic Church around Easter time.
Cottingham's Cardinal continued: Paul O'Brien's uncle Keith, Scotland's new Cardinal talked about his willingness to discuss celibacy amongst other things. The history of celibacy serves to indicate the historical attitude of the Church towards sexuality.
Autumn Fayre: This coming Saturday starting at 10.30 in the Civic Hall. You've only got the inside of a week to finish your 'spring-cleaning'. We'll take almost anything! The proceeds will be split between our twin parish in Sierra Leone and the St. Charles' Drop-in Centre.
Parish Alpha Programmes: There are two running at the moment. About ten people are meeting in the Priory Room every Wednesday evening beginning with a meal at 7.00 p.m. and starting this coming Thursday there will be a 'Morning Alpha' at the home of Shirley and Tony Woods-McConville, 1, Arlington Avenue. Tel: 842285 Everyone is welcome to come along to either at any time.
Holy Cross Luncheon Club: It's here again. Come early to get a seat! We are so indebted to all the volunteers who give freely of their time and energy to make this such a success. And the time high noon in the Priory Room on the first and third Wednesday.
Mission Appeal: "Dear Pat, this is just to thank you and the parish for the welcome and hospitality when I came to Holy Cross last weekend for the APF-Mill Hill red mission box appeal. I enjoyed the weekend not least the pub meals! (The Tiger and the Fair Maid). Thank you for them. Twenty five boxes went out so that was a very good response. The Parish is certainly a lively one and there's a very good spirit among the people so keep up the good work all of you! Thanks again, Pat, for your co-operation over the appeal and may God bless you and the people. Yours sincerely, Frank Graham M.H.M."
From Linda Gillard: "Dear Fr. Pat, just an official 'thank you' for the newsletter please. I would like to thank all those who helped with my 50th Birthday Buffet on the 28th Sept. For all the cards and presents I received, they were much appreciated. Thank you all at Holy Cross for your love and support. It meant so much especially as my parents are no longer alive to share such celebrations. I feel so grateful to be part of the loving family which is Holy Cross. I would have spoken after Mass but knowing me, I'd have needed the tissues! Love, Linda."
Diocese of Middlesbrough Women's Commission: Our next event will be a talk on "Creation Spirituality" led by Mary Dunn at English Martyrs Church Hall, Dalton Tce. in York, on Saturday 18th October from 1.00 4.00 p.m. There will be tea/coffee from noon and please bring your own lunch. All women and men of the diocese are welcome to attend. Mary Dunn, who often worships here, is a retired clinical psychologist who is also a council member of Greenspirit, the organisation which used to be known as Creation Spirituality.
Parishioner Tony 'Ginger' Simmonds sent me the following from his friend Rod Charlton in Australia:
Three boys are bragging about their dads. The first says, "When my dad writes something called a poem he gets £100 for it." "That's nothing!" says the second boy. "When my dad writes something called a song he gets £200 for it." To which the third boy replies, "When my dad writes something called a sermon, after he's done reading it, it takes eight people to collect all the money for it!"
St. Mary's College: The East Riding of Yorkshire does not make provision on its application form for parents resident in the East Riding who may wish to apply for St. Mary's College. Parents have to make direct application for entry to St. Mary's on the appropriate forms. These can be obtained directly from the college. Entries for September 2004 have to be received by 12th December 2003 and applications always exceed places available.
"My Church My Family." 2004 The 10th anniversary of the U.N.'s International Year of the Family and the church in this country is going to celebrate it by looking at and asking ourselves, as a church, as a family, what life is like, right now, for families. Each diocese will have a Gathering Day with a sharing of ideas and suggestions. Our's will be on September 11th 2004. There will be more about this in the new year. A website worth recommending, www.domestic-church.com is actually a family apostolate which aims to reach families how to live the Catholic faith in their family lives. Start by clicking on the index, where you will find an outline of the various sections of this website. These bring you to pages where there are links to articles, essays, stories, reviews, teachings as well as information on saints and sacraments. If you want some practical things-to-do, check out the section entitled 'Fridge Art'. And finally, a reporter watched a fire burn down a house. He noticed a little boy with his parents. The reporter, fishing for a human interest angle, said to the boy, "Son, it looks like you don't have a home anymore." The boy answered brightly, "We have a home, we just don't have a house to put it in."
The vicar's son at the Yorkshire village church asked his father, "Teacher says that 'congregate' and 'collect' mean the same. Is he right?" "Perhaps, son," said the vicar, "but round here there's a blooming big difference between a congregation and a collection!"
Ongoing Formation Talks for Priests and People: The last in the present series on "Prayer" will be given by Fr. Colman Ryan, formerly of Holy Name Parish and now parish priest in Thirsk. They begin at 7.30 and last about an hour, at the Endsleigh Centre, this Tuesday.
Fr. Tony will be speaking at the Endsleigh Centre tonight, Sunday at 7.30 p.m. and his topic will be, "Sixty Years of Priestly Ministry." Should be fascinating! Everyone is most welcome to attend.
Parish Walsingham Pilgrimage: Friday Sunday, December 12 14. Cost under £50. So far we have 24 parishioners signed up. Don't leave it too late as the 'two for one' offer is very popular!
Holy Cross Good Value? Visiting the 'Hidden Gem' church in the centre of Manchester on Thursday I discovered that their votive lights cost 25p! We charge only 10p!
Bones: The membership of any organisation is made up of four sets of bones. There are the Wishbones, who spend all their time wishing someone else would do the work; along with the Jawbones, who do all the talking but very little else. Another group is the Knucklebones they knock everything that anybody else tries to do. But most valuable are the Backbones, who get under the load and actually do the work. To which set do you belong?
Dear Fr. Pat,
Just a quick note to thank you so much for helping to 'do us' as you put it back in July for our big day at Zion. We had a perfect day. I think for most people your blessing was one of the high points of the service especially as most people, on seeing a joint-denomination service plan were probably expecting something more traditionally boring! You really helped make our day, and, I think, got a few people to think certainly we got a few of them to comment! Suffice to say that if we were living in Cottingham we would definitely be choosing to bring our children up at Holy Cross.
During our honeymoon we climbed Kilimanjaro, the hardest thing we ever did! Seeing as you already have a Kili rock (courtesy of Steve Haswell), we decided to send something back rather than taking away we have collected a big box of climbing equipment and worn gear from everyone we know and are posting it out to one of our guides to distribute amongst the porters, which means they can work more safely (the guides and porters all came from the same village at the base of the hill). Hope you approve?
One small request: a couple of prayers for Linda, Becky's mother, would be gratefully received as she is stuck at home with plaster casts on both feet. And Becky's dad!
Great to see you last weekend (as ever) and look forward to dropping in next time we are up North!
Good luck with bricks, walls, goats, church gardens and of course God, in the mean time!
Many thanks again,
Daniel and Becky Loftus
Anniversaries this coming week:
Saturday Mary Cooke (Mary Lunn's mother)
Sunday Ellen King (Shirley's grandmother)
Monday Stella Corcoran (Tony's mother) and Mary Wright
Tuesday Michael McKeown (Moira Thomson's brother)
Thursday Hilda Murphy (Leo's mother) and Margery Johnson
Friday James Walsh (Marion Mooney's father) and Kitty Gilmore
Saturday Mark Morkos (Angela's father)
Mass Intentions for the coming week:
Saturday 6.30 Norah and Bill Norris (A)
Sunday 10.00 Martin Murphy
Monday 9.00 Edna May Holwell (RIP)
Tuesday 6.30 Michael McKeown (A)
Wednesday Keith Brown (A)
Thursday 9.00 Sr. Aloysius Ruane (RIP)
Friday 9.00 Communion Service
Saturday 9.00 The Parishioners
Saturday 6.30 Tony Coyle (RIP)
Sunday 10.00 Betty and Robert Carvlin (RIP)
Sick Parishioners and Friends: Please remember in your prayers, Phil and Susannah Norton and their children in France. Mary Davidson's brother Chris also ill in Paris. John and Marion Boland, John Andrews, Claire Britton, John Gavin, Doreen Fletcher, Mary Guazelli, Peter and Margaret Price, Roy Caley, Pat Falvey, Marian Hall's mother, Vin McKenna. If you'd like someone's name included on the list, please don't hesitate to tell me.
Parish Prayer Circle Intention for Friday: "As the Pope celebrates his Silver Jubilee, we give thanks for all the good he has done throughout the world during these past twenty-five years"
One World Week: The Churches in the village will be celebrating it with a Party and Quiz at the Methodist Church (quiz set by Peter O'Reilly) on Thursday October 23rtd. at 7.00 p.m. Tickets will be £2.
Deanery Meeting: The priests from our five local parishes meet here on Wednesday. We had a lively few hours to say the least. On the agenda was the possible closure of one of our five parishes in the near future! that certainly got things going! The Vicar General, Mgr. Ricardo Morgan will be coming to talk to us in the near future about this. I think we're safe as the diocese has basically given us permission to go ahead with the building project! But following on from this there will be a Pastoral Area Meeting with reps. from the five parishes present on Wednesday November 12th at St. Anthony's at 7.30 p.m. Any volunteers? The topic will be: "The Church in Hull in 2010? What will we do in our area when we will have just four priests instead of the five we have at present?" Should be a lively evening!
There will be an Area Service of Reconciliation for Advent at the Marist Church on Thursday December 11th at 7.30 p.m.
On the Thursdays of Lent 2004, Holy Name Parish will host our annual Lenten Devotions, with each parish taking a different evening.
Stamps, Bricks, Logs etc. Save your stamps and put them in the box in the porch for Michelle to make money with! The deadline for the Engraved Bricks is getting close. Don't miss out! If you have an open fire or would like some logs as garden decoration etc. there are plenty of them in the back garden.
Harvest Fast Day: Leo tells me that so far he has counted over £600 with more to come in. And when you think that many of you signed Gift Aid declarations, that makes every pound worth 128 pence to CAFOD. Many, many thanks for your usual generosity!
The church is open all day from dawn till dusk. Have you seen it, apart from on Sunday? SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER 2003 FAMILY FAST WEEKEND MILL HILL APPEAL October the month of the Rosary: Current scholarship traces the development of the Rosary to the High Middle Ages where it came into being in various medieval monasteries as a substitute for the Divine Office for the lay monks and devout lay persons who did not know how to read. Instead of the 150 psalms, they would pray 150 'Our Fathers', counting them on a ring of beads known as the crown or 'corona'. With the growth of popularity of Marian devotion in the 12th century, the 'Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary' developed, substituting 150 'Hail Marys' in place of the 'Our Fathers'. The 150 'Hail Marys' were subsequently subdivided into 15 decades by the young Dominican friar, Henry Kalkar (1328-1408), with each decade referring to an event in the life of Jesus and Mary. The Dominican Ananus de Rupe (1428-1478) further divided the episodes in the history of salvation into the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries. He also attributed the origin of the Rosary, then known as the 'Psalter of the Blessed Virgin', to St. Dominic and thus spurred the Dominican Order to make the Apostolate of the Rosary their special concern. The Dominicans have, since then, promulgated the Rosary, with notable results. The practice of dedicating the entire month of October to the Rosary developed toward the end of the 19th century. Pope Leo XIII (whose papacy was from 1878-1903) strongly promoted the increase of devotion to the Blessed Mother by encouraging the constant use of the Rosary. In 2002, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, in which he suggested the addition of five 'mysteries of light': (1) The Baptism of Jesus. (2) The Wedding Feast at Cana. (3) The Proclamation of the Kingdom. (4) The Transfiguration. (5) The Institution of the Eucharist. He suggested that the 'joyful mysteries' be now prayed on Mondays and Saturdays, leaving Thursday free for the new mysteries. He also proclaimed October 2002 to October 2003 as the Year of the Rosary, as a way of promoting the rosary. |
Parish Autumn Fayre: Just two weeks to go until Saturday October 18th. Hull City have sent us Four Match Tickets for prizes. 'It'll be alright on the night' I'm sure, but please do start searching out for stuff for the various stalls. We'
Counters this week: Tricia Leach and Mary Chapman.
Next week: Joan and Peter Watts.
Family Fast Envelopes: We'll collect them after Mass on your way out. If you've forgotten it, bring it along next week or just put your intended offering in the basket. Many thanks. Please note 'The Hunger Site': www.thehungersite.com Every time you click on to it you automatically donate 1.1 cups of food to the poor of the world. Don't ask how but it does work!
Welcome! We welcome once again to Holy Cross Fr. Frank Graham, a Mill Hill Missioner who will be talking to us about the work of the missions and especially the 'Little Red Boxes' that many of you have at home. Can I take this opportunity to once again say a big thank you to Anne Tordoff for her continued overseeing of these 'Red Boxes'.
Parish Walsingham Pilgrimage: A fun few days at the National Shrine of Our Lady in Norfolk. Friday to Sunday, December 12 14, taking in on the Sunday afternoon the annual Carol Service at the Shrine. I have already booked accommodation for seventeen people. There is still time to join us. The cost will be under £50 which includes all meals, Friday to Sunday lunch.
Parish Lunch Club: Going from strength to strength! On Wednesday we were so full that the 'staff' had to eat 'on the hoof'! Jean and Elizabeth were even scrounging around the tables for the scraps from the rich man's table! Very biblical! I think that we're the most popular luncheon club in the area! Soon it'll be ticket only! have you been yet, and if not why not? We meet on the first and third Wednesdays of the month in the Priory Room from noon.
Journey in Faith Programme: What's lovely at Mass here is the number of people who come up for a blessing at Communion time. They come every week to Mass with their families or friends and are a great support to them. Maybe some of you would like to take a further step and think about joining us completely at the altar. We would all be thrilled for you if you chose to do this. The 'Journey in Faith Programme' is a non-threatening look at what our faith is about, what we do and why we do it. And it's for 'cradle Catholics' also, those of you who would like to deepen your understanding of the faith. The programme would conclude at Pentecost with those who wish, being received into the Catholic Church. We've done this before and what a blessing it's been for the whole parish. Think about it. Or have a word with either me or Jim Norton (849966), Shirley Woods-McConville (842285), Linda Gillard (848931) or Chris Pike (841593).
Anniversaries this coming week:
Saturday Laurence Wood (Brian's brother), Hilary Woods-McConville (daughter), James Lunn (Margaret's husband).
Sunday James Whincop (Pat's husband)
Tuesday Catherine McAllister (Joan Gibson's sister)
Thursday Kath Jephcott, Netta Hughes (Eithne Codd's sister)
Friday Aileen Murphy (Mary Falvey's sister), Rita Parkinson.
Saturday Mary Cook (Margaret Lunn's mother)
Sunday Ellen King (Shirley Woods-McConville's grandmother).
Cottingham Cardinal (well almost!): Our congratulations go to parishioner Paul O'Brien as his uncle Keith was this week made Scotland's only third Cardinal since the Reformation, a move which took Vatican-watchers by surprise, and bringing a breath of liberal Catholic thinking into the conservative hierarchy of the Church. He was born in Ballycastle, Co. Antrim and was educated in Scotland and one of the parishes he served in was Holy Cross, Edinburgh. Maybe there's hope for me yet? He said during the week that he would willingly speak out on issues such as celibacy and contraception to assist the growth of the Church. He added that there was a clear distinction between matters regulated by divine law and issues for the Catholic community to resolve. "If there is an issue that I wish to speak out strongly on I don't care who is against it. There are things that are God's law, such as murder and war, and there are things for Church law. Issues like celibacy are those sort of things." He said that he would like to see the Church incorporating a celibate and married priesthood, be it in five years' time or fifty. He will be installed in Rome on October 21st and Paul will be there. (Any chance of a ticket, Paul?). Our congratulations go also to Gail his wife and Michael and Sean their sons.
The Bone Family are now settled into their new home across the Humber. I had a visit from Julia and Catherine on Thursday (on their way to the dentist!). Their new address is: 3, Little Farm Close, Wootton, Ulceby. N. Lincs. DN39 6GW Tel: 01469 589815
St. Mary's College Open Evening: It takes place this Wednesday at 7.00 p.m. in the School Hall. It's for prospective parents and pupils who will be transferring to secondary schools in September 2004.
Fr. Tony will be giving a talk at the Endsleigh Centre this Sunday (October 5th) with the theme "Sacred Scripture and Evolution". It begins at 7.00 p.m. And next Sunday he will be reflecting on "Sixty Years of Priestly Ministry" again at the Endsleigh Centre at 7.30 p.m.
Ongoing Formation Talks for Priests and People: Almost thirty people gathered last Tuesday to listen to Fr. Gerry Mulligan talk on prayer. This week we will see how a parish prays with people from various parishes in the city telling us their stories. Mass on Tuesday will once again be at the slightly earlier time of 6.30 p.m.
"Dear Fr. Pat, I am writing to say good bye. I am leaving to go to Bangladesh for a year to work as a physiotherapist and also as a teacher of physiotherapy students. I imagine the year will be challenging and exciting and I'm very much looking forward to it. I have very much enjoyed my year in Cottingham and all the more because of Holy Cross parish. It has always felt like what a true Catholic and Christian community should feel like, warm, welcoming and challenging! I have attended quite a number of churches in my six years in England and I think Cottingham church shall live longest in my memory. I find myself regretting I had not more time to spend among you and become more of a part of the community. When next I am in Hull I shall drop in for Mass! If anyone wishes to contact me, my email address is mariefitzgerald@tiscali.co.uk Goodbye and God bless, Marie."
Mike Davidson: Will he be on the Winter tour with England? At a recent Sportsman's Dinner for Hull Zingari, Mike was awarded with a presentation as the Players' Player of the Year and also as the Best Batsman of the Year. Mike, a new (ish) parishioner moved recently into Doreen Reekie's house with Mary his wife, is deputy-head at St. Mary's College, so he probably won't be able to get the time off! They're both very welcome to Holy Cross parish along with their son Chris who is a lecturer out in the Gulf after getting his PhD during the summer.
Other PhDs: Jan Mounce's son Richard, one of Chris Davidson's classmates, also got his PhD in Mathematics this summer. And another friend in their class, Chris Hammond also got his PhD in Science. A good summer for all of them! Congratulations!
St. Francis of Assisi: (Feast today, Saturday): "And the mantra that I recite, and the standard by which I measure myself, is simply this: 'My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dogs think I am.' (Rabbi Charles Middleburgh)
Alpha Courses: There are two courses running in the parish at the moment. Starting this Tuesday from 10.00 12.00 in the Priory Room there will be a morning course. Come along and see, join us for coffee, a talk and a short discussion. And there will be an evening course on Wednesdays starting with a meal at 7.00 p.m. The shepherd's pie last Wednesday was delicious!
John Britton and 'Countdown' : We reported last week that John had been narrowly beaten, you saw it on the television. Well, it turns out that in one answer John was right although they said he wasn't! The producer phoned him last week to acknowledge their error and to invite him back on the show at a later date. We'll keep you posted!
Knitting Machine: A Passap Duo, electric motor and plenty of wool in good condition. Any offers? If interested, speak to Jean Rowlands on 840617.
A passenger Jet was suffering from a severe thunderstorm. As the passengers were being bounced around by the turbulence, a young woman turned to a priest sitting next to her and with a nervous laugh asked, "Father, you're a man of God, can't you do something about this storm?" To which he replied, "Lady, I'm in sales, not management."
Parish Prayer Circle Intention for this coming Friday: "We remember all our parishioners who are housebound at this time, and we give thanks for our own good health."
Logs for the Taking: I've separated the wood into logs suitable for burning (they'll just need cutting) and the rest which might be used to decorate your garden (or you can burn it too!). It's all in the garden behind the Priory Room. If you find it useful you might like to leave a couple of pounds that will go towards the building fund. Thanks in anticipation!
Buy a Brick: And have you? Will you or your loved ones be remembered in the new meeting room? We're getting near the cut-off date for applications. Peter Dyas has worked unceasingly in the fundraising area and is now making a last appeal. The forms are available in the porch [and online as a Word document or a PDF file]. Give one to a friend!
You probably know the first part of this prayer attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr but did you know all of it?
"God, grant me the grace to accept with serenity
the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference,
living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as the pathway to peace,
taking as you did this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that you will make all things right,
if I surrender to your will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with you forever in the next.
Recent Birthdays: Ros Durkin celebrated one last Wednesday. Anna Holdsworth (6.30) celebrated her "Sweet Sixteenth" last Monday. Joe Hurd (6.30) had his Seventeenth on Friday and his grandma Margaret Bottery celebrated her **th. on Friday also.
Wedding Anniversary: Dan (Ben the Donkey's brother) and Helen Palmer are celebrating their second wedding anniversary this coming Monday. They were married here on Saturday October 6th 2001 at 1.00 p.m. and England were playing Greece at 2.30 p.m. that same afternoon! Bad planning, Dan! Dan is an Evertonian through and through! They also have, to give away, a corner computer unit with bookshelf attachment in solid pine. It's six feet tall but can be split and is four feet either way from the corner. Free to a good home! Telephone Dan on 648487.
Worth a Gamble? According to 'Paddy Power', Cardinal O'Brien is 50 1 for the next Pope. Should we support our own and put the parish money on him? It's better odds than winning the Lottery! Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor is 20 1.
University Students: There will be a Video Night at the Chaplaincy (next to the Marist Church on Cottingham Rd.) this Friday at 7.30 p.m. They take place on the second and fourth Fridays of the month and all students are most welcome. There is also a Soup and Cheese Lunch on the first Wednesday of the month at 1.00 p.m. The charge is £1.50 and the proceeds go to CAFOD. Mass is celebrated at the Chaplaincy on a Sunday at 12 noon and 6.30 p.m. Chaplaincy cards are available in the porch.
The Feast of St. Francis Saturday October 4th
"St. Francis and the Sow." 'The bud stands for all things, even those things that don't flower, for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing; though sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness, to put a hand on its brow of the flower and retell it in words and in touch it is lovely, until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing; As St. Francis put his hand on the creased forehead of the sow, and told her in words and in touch blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow began remembering all down her thick length, from the earthen snout all the way through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of the tail, from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine down through the great broken heart to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking and blowing beneath them: the long, perfect loveliness of sow.' (Galway Kinnell)
Sick Parishioners: Please keep in your prayers Claire Britton, John Gavin and Doreen Fletcher (both hopefully out of hospital at last), Jim Norton diagnosed this week as having a hole in his heart, his brother Phil, sick over in France, Mary Davidson's brother Chris also ill in Paris, Marian Hall's mother, Peter and Margaret Price, Pat Falvey, Roy Caley, Vin McKenna, John Andrews and Fr. Gerard Burns.
Mass Intentions for the week:
Saturday 6.30 The IBVM Sisters in the Czech Republic
Sunday 10.00 James Whincop (A) and Lorenzo (RIP)
Monday 9.00 Bro. Damian and the Community in Strahov Monast.
Tuesday 6.30 Baby Angel Murtagh (RIP) Buried in the garden.
Wednesday 9.00 Mrs. Browne (Viv Walsh's mother)
Thursday 9.00 In Thanksgiving the Price Family
Friday 9.00 Edna May Holwell (RIP)
Saturday 9.00 The Parishioners
Saturday 6.30 Norah and Bill Norris (A)
Sunday 10.00 Martin Murphy