Parish News
Christmas Parish Bazaar THIS SATURDAY 30th November
Food served from 1.00pm, Hall open from 2.00pm
Bazaar Contributions – Final Week to Donate
This week is the final week to donate items for the Parish Bazaar. There will be boxes in the porch that you can leave your contributions in or alternatively you can give to the priests at the presbytery, your support is greatly appreciated.
Grand Raffle Tickets
We have been distributing Grand Raffle Prize draw tickets to parishioners to sell in aid of our Christmas Bazaar 2024. Each envelope contains 10 books of tickets worth £10. All you need to do is sell those tickets to family, friends or work colleagues and then return the part with the name and address on and the money to either Sally Stubbs, Mark Butcher or directly to Fr Mariusz or Fr Adam. We can give you as many as you are able to sell and we have some great prizes again this year with 1st prize being £350 cash, 2nd Prize JBL Party Box Speaker, 3rd Prize 12 bottles of wine and 4th Prize £50 amazon voucher. Don’t forget to get some for yourselves as well.
Brentwood Catholic Youth Service
This weekend is WORLD YOUTH SUNDAY -
There will be a second collection to support the work of the Brentwood Catholic Youth Service, as well as the opportunity to hear more about their work.
Find out more at www.bcys.net , searching @brentwoodcys or if you are able to, you can donate online at www.bcys.net/donate . Thank you.
Please Note
THIS Monday Mass (25th November) will now be at 9.00am rather than 10.00am. This is due to priest’s training in Brentwood.
First Communion class this Sunday 9.45am
The Confirmation class will be presented with their books at 11am mass this weekend.
New Lectionaries Books
The new Lectionaries Books will be presented to the parish on the first Sunday of Advent (1st December) at 11.00am Mass. We ask those who have kindly donated money towards the Lectionaries, to bring them up during the offertory procession. If you wish to do this, please speak with Fr Mariusz or Fr Adam.
The new Lectionaries books have slightly different translations then our parish mass books. Please be aware that some of the responses may have changed.
Morning Prayer
As from the 2nd December, the Morning Prayer will be reintroduced at 09:15am (Mon-
Our Lady of Fatima Legion of Mary will be doing their 10th Immaculate Conception Rosary Procession on Saturday 7th December 2024 with exposition of Blessed Sacrament, Mass at 10am, Benediction, confession, talk about Mary, procession from the Church to the hall. The program ends at 3pm. All welcome to join.
Foundation Governor Vacancies
Vacancies for Foundation Governors have arisen at a number of Catholic schools across the Diocese and expressions of interests are being sought from practising committed Catholics for the ministry. The term of office is for four years from the date of appointment. Foundation Governors are personally appointed by the Bishop to Diocesan schools to represent his interests and those of the Catholic community as a whole. Our schools would benefit from people with a range of skills and experiences including Finance, Education, Special Needs, Legal and Administration. Anyone interested in the role and mission of Foundation Governor should not be put off by a lack of experience. Appropriate training is available during the period of service. If you are interested in becoming Foundation Governor please email your expression of interest to governanceappointments@brcdt.org.
ALTAR SERVERS
Children who have already made their First Communion and would like to serve at Masses on Sunday first practise will be THIS Friday 29th Nov at 5.00pm in the church.
WE REMEMBER IN OUR PRAYERS
Those who are sick and housebound: the patients at Goodmayes and King George’s Hospitals, Mrs & Mr Elliffe, Clement P., Linda Royceston and David Walker.
WE REMEMBER THOSE WHO ANNIVERSARIES OCCUR AT THIS TIME: Angela Gummett, Rev Robert Barrow, Sergio Panayotti, Pat Maguire, Mary Cox, Daniel Durston, Moira Gonoghan, David Durston, and Ryan McGovern.
HALL HIRE: For more information on how to hire our halls please contact Phil on 07777663724.
LAST SUNDAY’S COLLECTION: £1039.00.Thank you for continued generous financial support.
REPOSITORY: Our repository in the lower hall is open on Sundays after 11am Mass. Should you require anything in the meantime please contact Kathy Butcher via 07777663724.
BINGO IN THE LOWER HALL every Wednesday at 1.00pm.
ST CEDD’S CLUB: Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 7:00pm to 11pm; Friday 6:00pm to 11pm; Saturday 5:00pm to 11pm; Sunday 12noon to 11pm.
On Christmas Eve we will have our usual Children's 5.00pm mass. During this mass we enact the Christmas story. Rehearsals for the mass will be on Sunday 22nd December at 9.30am in the liturgy room and on Monday 23rd December at 11.00am in the Church.All children from R to Year 6 are welcome to be part of the presentation. Please keep these dates in your diary! If you have any questions please speak/contact Maria Mackie 07714216924.
Walsingham House Team 25/26: applications are now open for the volunteer retreat team at Walsingham House. If you are in Yr13 or finishing university and enjoy working with young people then a year on the retreat team could be the perfect next step. Live and work as part of a young Catholic Christian community, sharing your faith and helping to run retreats for the young people of Brentwood diocese. For more information then please see the website: www.bcys.net/whabbotswick/be-
Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
For Immediate Release
15 November 2024
Bill on Assisted suicide
The bishops of England, Wales and Scotland explain exactly what ‘compassion’ means at the end of life – caring for and accompanying people, particularly during times of suffering. The statement strongly defends the vulnerable in society who are at risk through this proposed legislation, and the bishops advocate for better funded palliative care to be consistently available to everyone in need in England, Wales, and Scotland. “People who are suffering need to know they are loved and valued. They need compassionate care, not assistance to end their lives,” say the bishops. “Palliative care, with expert pain relief, and good human, spiritual, and pastoral support, is the right and best way to care for people towards the end of life.” They also assert that assisted suicide raises serious issues of principle that cannot be ignored.
Copies of the full statement are available in the porch
Full statement
As Catholic Bishops in England and Wales, and in Scotland, we believe that genuine compassion is under threat because of the attempts in Parliament to legalise assisted suicide. ‘Compassion’ means to enter into and share the suffering of
another person. It means never giving up on anyone or abandoning them. It means loving them to the natural end of their life, even if and when they struggle to find meaning and purpose. Compassion means accompanying people, especially during sickness, disability, and old age. This kind of genuine compassion is witnessed through the care and respect we show to people with terminal illness as they complete their journey in this life. We appeal to those who share our Catholic belief in human dignity and sanctity of life, including fellow Christians, other religious people, and people of reason and good will, to join with us in defending the weakest and most vulnerable who are at risk through this proposed legislation.
Life is a gift to be protected, especially when threatened by sickness and death.
Palliative care, with expert pain relief, and good human, spiritual, and pastoral support, is the right and best way to care for people towards the end of life. More adequate funding and resources for hospices and palliative care teams authentically serve and honour our shared human dignity. In the discussion around assisted suicide, so much is made of freedom of choice and autonomy; but autonomy is not absolute and must always be placed within the context of the common good of society as a whole. People who are suffering need to know they are loved and valued. They need compassionate care, not assistance to end their lives.
Assisted suicide raises serious issues of principle. The time given for Parliament to consider the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which will permit assisted suicide is woefully inadequate. Although the Bill indicates safeguards will be in place, the experience of other countries where assisted suicide has been introduced shows that such promised safeguards are soon forgotten. In Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and parts of the USA, the criteria for assisted suicide have been expanded significantly, in law or in practice, often to include people with mental illness and others who have no terminal diagnosis. It is not always easy to predict the length of time a person with a terminal illness has to live, making this Bill unworkable. We are alarmed by the impact that legalisation will have on the most vulnerable members of our society. The option to end life can quickly, and subtly, be experienced as a duty to die.
Some may well feel their continued existence is a burden to others, and, implicitly or explicitly, be pressured into assisted suicide. This includes people who are elderly, infirm, and living with disabilities. The protection of such people is the foundation of civilised society. It is at the heart of good government. We are also concerned that this Bill will fundamentally damage the relationship between medical practitioners and their patients. It will potentially lead to pressure on medical staff to recommend or facilitate such procedures. Will the right to conscientious objection for individuals and institutions be guaranteed?
The impact on hospices, care homes, and those who work in social and community care cannot be underestimated. It will radically alter the ethos of trust and support which underpins our service to those in need and their families. We urge all people of good will to oppose this legislation and, instead, to advocate for better funded palliative care which is consistently available to everyone in need in England, Wales, and Scotland. Please inform yourself and others about this issue and contact your Member of Parliament to make your opposition known, asking him or her to oppose or not support the Bill. As Catholic Bishops, we call upon all Catholics, and invite all those who share our Christian faith, to turn in prayer to God our Father. Please pray that the dignity of human life will be protected and defended.
On the cross, Christ united Himself to every form of human suffering and every person who suffers. In Him, life is changed, not ended. He shows us, in His own crucified and risen body, that love is always stronger than death.