20th April, 2013 – Sunday Vigil Mass

WELCOME

Times of Mass and Devotions
Sat   20 Apr	5.30pm	HA	Sunday Vigil Mass	Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
Sun  21 Apr	9.15am	HF	Fourth Sunday of Easter	Joan Packwood and Ann (RIP)
	11.00am	HA		Elizabeth Morris (RIP)
Mon  22 Apr			NO MASS
Tue  23 Apr	9.30am	HF	MASS	Craig Burley and Ita Burton (RIP)
Wed 24 Apr	9.30am	HA	MASS	Special Intentions of Connie Tewkesbury
Thu  25 Apr			NO MASS	NO MASS
Fri     26 Apr	12.00pm	HA	MASS	Baby George William McCrow (RIP)
Sat   27 Apr	5.30pm	HA	Sunday Vigil Mass	Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
Sun  28 Apr	9.15am	HF	Fifth Sunday of Easter	Golden Wedding Anniversary of Bob & Daphne Konowicz
	11.00am	HA

 

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confessions)
Holy Angels, Ash: First Friday of month after 12pm Lunchtime Mass
Holy Family, Farnham:  First Thursday of month after 7.30pm Evening Mass
Special Services with Confessions at both Churches for Advent and Lent

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesday at Holy Family @ 7.00pm (in Church Hall)

 (Parish Office Hours: 9.30am – 1.30pm)

                        Please note:  HF = Holy Family, Heath End, Farnham and HA = Holy Angels, Ash

 

Special Collection

There will be a Special Collection TODAY for The Education of Future Priests.

 

Liturgy

 4^th Sunday of Easter (C)

Entrance: HA:  846  HF: 40 Amazing Grace
Offertory: HA:  629  HF: 272 I am the bread of life
Final Hymn:  HA:  386  HF:  352 (Hymn to St. George)

 

Information

PRAYER GROUP –

The next Prayer Group for both Holy Angels and Holy Family Churches will take place once a month on a Tuesday. The next dates are the 7^th May,  4^th June and 2^nd July, 2013. Please come along as and when you can and you will be made to feel most welcome. Coffee at 7.30pm for 7.45pm start to be held in the Parish Office.

 

Churches Together Afternoon Teas – TODAY at Holy Angels from 3pm until 4.30pm. Why not join us?

 

Baptisms

Please make an appointment to see the Priest/Deacon to discuss what you need to do to prepare for your child’s baptism. If you are new to the Parish, please complete pink Registration Form  and make yourself known to Father David or Deacon John after Mass.

Once you have met with Father David or Deacon John You will be asked to attend a Baptism Class which is one evening and only takes up an hour or so of your time.  Also Father David asks that parents obtain the booklet entitled, ‘Your Baby’s Baptism’ available on line from Redemptorist Publications, Shawton, Alton, Hants. Tel: 01420 83255 Email: enquiries@rpbooks.co.uk

Also for the Godparents, the booklet ‘Your Godchild’ ISBN: 978-0-85231-364-0) again available from details above.

 

Prayer Requests

Please remember in your prayers our sick: Maggie Larkin for a speedy recovery after her knee operation. Barbara mother of Sharon O’Brien. Jordan for a speedy recovery after a road traffic accident.

 

HolyFamilyChurch Catholic Parish Farnham, Hale, Weybourne & Badshot Lea

Mother and Toddler Group – Our Mother and Toddler Group meet every Thursday morning from 9.30am until 11.30am in the Church Hall.  Why not join us and have a chat over a cup of coffee whilst your children enjoy some playtime with other young children.

 

Mother and Toddler Group – We would love to see more young Mums at our Mother and Toddler Group who meet in St. Mary’s Room on a Tuesday, from 10.30am until 12.00pm. 

 

Father David’s Message

Saint George – Patron of England

The first Patron Saint of England was St. Edward the Confessor who was born c.1004 and died 1066.  He was king of England from 1046 and was renowned as a peace loving, wise and holy king.

How St. George came to replace him is not clear, but it is clear that by 1348 when Edward III established the Order of the Garter – a band of 15 elite knights – St. George was well established as the Patron Saint of England.  It seems most likely that crusaders returning from the Holy Land had discovered St. George and adopted him as their Patron.

Very little original evidence exists in the way of records which help us to identify the life and character of St. George.  This may be because he lived at a time when the Church was persecuted and it was dangerous to be a Christian.

Tradition tells us that he was a Roman Soldier in the time of the Emperor Diocletian who was a pagan.  Diocletian was a very cruel Emperor who ruled by fear.  Everyone would have had to be very careful what they said about the Emperor and in those days, people would have out of fear hidden their criticisms by using secret names for the Emperor and so historians believe that the dragon was in fact a name used for the Emperor by those who suffered persecution under Diocletian.  The young fair maiden is symbolic of the early Church (in those days often referred to as the Bride of Christ.

The Historian, Metaprates tells us that St. George was born in Cappadocia of Christian parents.  St. George’s mother inherited land in Palestine and so went to live there.  George joined the army and was made the equivalent of a Colonel.  When George was ordered to act against the Christians in Palestine he resigned his position in the army and the Emperor had him put in prison and tortured then beheaded at Nicomedia (Palestine).  St. George during the middle ages was not just a favourite Saint for the English but also popular throughout Europe where there are many ancient churches dedicated in his memory.

For seventeen hundred years he has been a symbol of courage and faithfulness for people from many national and religious backgrounds. 

(Details from Butler’s lives of the Saints and the Penguin Dictionary of Saints and the lives of Saints by Hugo Hoover).                   

St. George, Patron Saint of England, Pray for us.

Happy St. George’s Day.

 

 

Holy Angels and Holy Family International Contact Bureau

When I was a school boy the rich variety of people from different national backgrounds was made up of Scottish, Welsh and Irish people with the rare Italian, Spanish or French family.  How things have changed, the world through modern travel and communications seems to have become a much smaller place and England is now more cosmopolitan than perhaps it has ever been in its history before.

Recently we have had so many new families from many different national backgrounds register in the Parish and several of them have said they would like to make contact with anyone in the Parish from their home country.

With the great Feast of Pentecost in mind which celebrates “many languages professing one faith” we are starting a contact ministry.  If you are wondering if there is anyone from your home country at the Mass you attend and you would like to say hello to them, please let our Parish Secretary have a note of your name, the national group you are from, your telephone or email details and which Mass you are most likely to be at and we will try and help you make contact with anyone from your home country.