23rd September, 2012 (25th Sunday of the Year) Harvest Thanksgiving

Liturgy

25th Sunday of Year B – Theme:  Harvest Thanksgiving

Entrance Hymn:  HA:  685    HF:  27 All things bright and beautiful (4 verses)
Offertory:  HA: 735    HF:  782 We plough the fields.
Final Hymn:  HA:   694  HF:  15 All creatures of our God (first 4 verses only)

Information

Last week Fr. Ken recited an unpublished poem by Philip Hargreen several people asked him for a copy so it is printed here:

This, is our exile
I’ve smelt the primroses and heard the lark,
I’ve watched the white owl hunting in the dark.

I’ve seen the tide leave ripples in the sand;
If this is exile – what the promised land?

Altar Servers – new people are desperately needed to participate in this ministry.  Now that you have made your First Holy Communion, you are eligible to become altar servers.  This ministry is a wonderful way to get involved with your parish and to serve Jesus at His table.   Please speak to Father David, Deacon John or Gloria Benson at Holy Angels and Peter Davis at Holy Family.  Any one of these people will certainly welcome you to serve in this ministry.

Baptisms

19th November at Holy Family
6th Feb at Holy Angels

Please note: An appointment must be made with either the Priest or Deacon John prior to enrolling onto the Baptism Course.

Holy Family Church Catholic Parish for Heath End Farnham, Hale, Weybourne & Badshot Lea

 

Mother and Toddler Group – Meet up every Thursday morning from 9.30am until 11.30am. 

The Toddler Group invites parishioners to join them in a fund raising coffee morning for McMillan Cancer nursing Thursday morning 27^th September in the hall all are welcome. Last year over £100 was raised.

Holy Angels Church Catholic Parish for Ash, Ash Vale, Tongham & Normandy

Thank you!  Many thanks to Maggie Batchelor for the wonderful Harvest Display at the front of the Altar.

Dates for your Diary

Holy Angels and Holy Family Prayer Group 2^nd October and the 6^th November held in the Parish Office at Holy Angels.  Coffee at 7.30pm for 7.45pm start

Help for families in Syria during the War:
Classical Guitar Concert – Saturday, 17^th November at 7.30pm. at Holy Angels Church, 65 Church Road, Ash, Surrey GU12 6LU

Father David’s News

TODAY we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving which I heard in one of the parishes I looked after described as a “Chapter in Nature’s cycle of Prayer of the Year in Praise of God’s Creation”.  The Church has a cycle of Daily Prayer called, “The Brievery”.  These include times for Morning, Mid Day, Evening and Night.

The Church also has special times for dedicating our lives and our work to God’s care and protection.

There is a time for Blessing and sowing the see and there is a time for Harvesting (the American family tradition of Thanksgiving has its origins here).

With the move away from individual farming to the commercial production of food inWestern Europewe have moved away from our consciousness of the cycle of nature and its part in God’s ever generous continuous work of creation.

This Sunday we stop and acknowledge that no matter how far our lives and work has moved from the production of food and the cycle of Creation in Nature – ultimately we are all dependent on the Harvest and so whatever our role in life we stop and give thanks today for our lives, our work and the work of others that makes life not only possible, but enjoyable and we remember in our offering and Harvest Gifts those who may be in difficulty as far as food and jobs are concerned at this time.

We offer the following Prayer:

Almighty God, we are taught by your word that for our daily needs we are dependent not only on the work of men’s hands but also on your providence and fatherly care.

And so we praise you at this time for your gifts to us in nature by which the earth is enriched and made fruitful, and for the labours of those by whom the harvest is gathered in.

Make us thankful for all that we receive, and teach us that in the whole of life we are workers together with you, the author and giver of all good things; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Frank Colquhoun)

Any food that is donated today will go to a local Food Bank to help those in need at this time.

Please remember in your prayers, Father Stan’s Father, WLADYSLAW MYCEK (RIP) who has died.  Although he lived in Poland many deaneries have the tradition of saying a Mass in the Parishes and remembering in prayer the parents of their priests when they die – remembering that the vocation of their priests often owes a great deal to their parents.

Whilst I was on his holiday inWalesI visited a Church inCarmarthenwhere I noticed the following Parish Prayer which although in Welsh there also happened to be an English translation on display. I thought the words were rather nice so brought a copy home with me.  Some of you may like to say this prayer yourself today or when you are next in Church:-

We thank you, Heavenly Father,
for gathering us together in this place
as your family.

Guide us as we seek
to follow your only Son, Jesus Christ.
Help us to listen to your word
in the Holy Scriptures
and to welcome you in Holy Communion.

May your Holy Spirit help us
to deepen our love for you
both individually and as a community
so that together we may love and serve you
in all we do and say,
especially in the example we give to others
and our care for those in need.

Bless our work and our prayer each day
that our lives may be worthy of our calling as
Christians.

We offer this prayer with the guidance of your Holy Spirit
through Christ Our Lord. Amen

God Bless you all,         Father David.