Newsletter

WELCOME

Times of Mass and Devotions
Sat   8 Feb	5.30pm	HA	First Mass	Helen Day & Family in Thanksgiving
Sun  9 Feb	9.15am	HF	Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time	Mgr. Canon Jeff Scott (RIP)
	11.00am	HA		Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
Mon  10 Feb			NO MASS	NO MASS
Tue  11 Feb	10.00am	HF	NO MASS (Deanery Meeting)	NO MASS
Wed 12 Feb	9.30am	HA	Week 5 in Ordinary Time	All deceased members of the Kirwin Family
Thur 13 Feb	7.30pm	HF	Week 5 in Ordinary Time	Joachim Barbier & Armand Silobo (RIP) Holy Souls
Fri    14 Feb	12.00pm	HA	Sts. Cyril & Methodius	Beatrice & Albert Goodchild (RIP) Holy Souls
Sat    15 Feb	5.30pm	HA	First Mass	Special Intentions of Mary Murphy
Sun   16 Feb	9.15am	HF	Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time	Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
	11.00am	HA		All married couples at Holy Angels & Holy Family

Sacrament of Reconciliation:-

Holy Angels: 1st Friday in the Month following 12.00pm Mass and at Holy Family: 1st Thursday in the month following the 7.30pm Mass.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every 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

 

Second Collection

There will be a Second Collection next week for the Catholic Education Service.

 

Liturgy

9^th February:  We are a light for Christ in the World

Entrance:      HA: 883  HF: S10 or 891 Longing for…
Offertory:      HA: 865  HF:  285 Here I am Lord ..
Final Hymn:  HA:  771  HF: 914 The Spirit lives ..

 

Information

Adult Confirmation

If you are over 18 and have missed out on Confirmation for any reason and would like to receive the Sacrament we are proposing to run a short course of 6 modules over 3 meetings which would lead to Confirmation. The sacrament of Confirmation completes the initiation of Catholics and unwraps the power of the Holy Spirit. We would encourage any of you who have missed out to think about it. Especially if you are thinking about getting married, the Church prefers you to be Confirmed, or have children about to be Baptised or make their first communion. If you are interested please speak to Father David or Deacon John. There is also a large print copy of a letter on Confirmation from Deacon John on our Church Notice Boards and letter below.  (Leaflets available at back of Church)

Churches of the Holy Angels, Ash and the Holy Family, Farnham 

CONFIRMATION

 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 In this third catechesis on the Sacraments, we will reflect on Confirmation or Cresima, which is understood in continuity with Baptism, to which it is connected in an inseparable way. These two Sacraments, together with the Eucharist, make up one salvific event — “Christian initiation” –, with which we are inserted in Jesus Christ dead and risen and become new creatures and members of the Church. This is why originally these three Sacraments were celebrated at the same time, at the end of the catechumenal journey, normally during the Easter Vigil. Thus the course of formation was sealed and a gradual insertion in the Christian community, which could last even several years. It was done step by step to arrive at Baptism, then to Confirmation and the Eucharist.

 Ordinarily one speaks of the Sacrament of “Cresima,” a word which means “anointing.” And, in fact, through the oil called “sacred Chrism” we are conformed, in the power of the Spirit, to Jesus Christ, who is the only true “Anointed One,” the “Messiah,” the Holy One of God.

 The term “Confirmation,” therefore, reminds us that this Sacrament brings a growth of Baptismal grace: it unites us more firmly to Christ; it brings to fulfilment our bond with the Church; it gives us the special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith, to confess the name of Christ and never to be ashamed of His cross (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1303).

 “For this reason it is important to care that our children, our young one have this sacrament. We all must take care that they be baptized: and this is good, but perhaps we don’t care so much if they receive Confirmation: they remain half-way and do not receive the Holy Spirit,  which is very important in Christian life, because it gives us the strength to go forward!

 Let us think, each one of us: do we, truly care that our children and our young ones receive Confirmation? This is important, it is important! And if you have children in your home, young ones who have not received it yet and are of age to receive it, do everything possible to bring to fulfilment this Christian initiation and that they may receive the strength of the Holy Spirit. It is important!

 Of course it is important to give the candidates for Confirmation a good preparation, which must seek to lead them to personal adherence to faith in Christ and to awaken in them the sense of belonging to the Church.

 Confirmation, like every Sacrament,  is not the work of men but of God, who takes care of our life in order to mould us to the image of His Son, to make us capable of loving like Him. He does so by infusing in us His Holy Spirit, whose action pervades the whole person and the whole of life, as shining through the seven gifts that Tradition, in the light of Holy Scripture, has always evidenced. These seven gifts: I do not wish to ask you if you remember the seven gifts. Maybe you all do…But I will say them in your name. What are these gifts? Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of God. And these gifts are given to us by the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation.  I intend to dedicate to these gifts the catecheses that will follow those of the Sacraments.

 When we receive the Holy Spirit in our heart and allow Him to act, Christ Himself makes Himself present in us and moulds our life. Through us, it will be He who prays, who forgives, who infuses hope and consolation, who serves brethren, who makes Himself close to the needy and the least, who creates communion, who sows peace. Think of how important this is: through the Holy Spirit, Christ Himself comes to do all this in our midst for us. For this reason it is important that children and young ones receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

 Dear brothers and sisters let us remind ourselves that we have received Confirmation! All of us! Let us remember it first of all to thank the Lord for this gift, and then to ask Him to help us to live as true Christians, to walk always with joy according to the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

 Submitted by: Deacon John

 

Baptisms

To help parents prepare for the Baptism of their children we run an information evening for parents.  Please see Father David or Deacon John for details of the next course.  If you child is more than 2 years old the information evening will be a one to one with the parents and the child and the Priest needs to see that the child is happy to be baptised.

Volunteer

To serve God and others and is the greatest form of charity:  the pure love of Christ.  Jesus Christ said, “I give you a new commandment:  love one another:  you must love one another just as I have loved you.”          (John 13:34)

We are looking for people from the Parish to join the First Holy Communion Catechist Team.  The current team are loosing two members in August 2014 and more volunteers ae needed to ensure that there will be another program for this Parish in 2014-2015 and thereafter.

The First Holy Communion programme involves working with children in school year 3 (age 7-8) on a once a month basis between Sept – June.  The classes are 1.50 hours on a Saturday moring & a Sunday Mass.  The classes alternate between Holy Family & Holy Angels.  You can volunteer to join the team on a full or part time basis.  No training is necessary – although a CRB check will be required (which will be organised through the Parish).

Please discuss with the team what you can offer based on the exciting, well developed programme currently being delivered.  You may choose to work with the children on the chapters through their book delivering a well structured lesson plan, teach them church etiquette while practicing their readings for Mass, supervise a lesson based craft – or a mix of all three.

You can choose to assist at either just Holy Family or Holy Angels – although the program is evenly spread across the two churches.

Any volunteers will be welcomed.  Don’t hesitate – enquire now!

Amanda: amandawatty@sky.com
Teresa: teresa.woods28@sky.com
Lynn:  lynnstathdee@btinternet.com
Susie: susiesimms@hotmail.co.uk

 

Prayer Requests

For the sick:  Deacon David Morgan, Newton Abrew, and Paul Gibson’s Mother, Judy.

It is with regret that we announce the death of Father Tom Mulvey who died in Castlepollard, Westmeath on Monday, 3^rd February 2014.

Mgr Canon Jeff Scott who also died on the 3rd Feb in St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey. Funeral: Mon. 17^th Feb. 11.30am at St. Dunstan’s, Woking.

Please pray for the repose of their souls and  may they rest in peace.

 (If you would like prayers for friends or family members, please first check with that person that they are happy for their name to be mentioned in the weekly Newsletter)

 

Holy Angels

Practice for Choir/Singers – fortnightly on Sundays at 10am before the 11.00am Mass beginning on 23^rd February.  Coffee and tea will be available and all welcome.

Prayer Group for Holy Angels and Holy Family Churches takes place once a month on a Tuesday.  The next date is Tuesday, 11^th February 2014.  Coffee at 7.30pm for 7.45pm start. To be held in the Parish Office

 

Holy Family

Quiz Evening  – Friday 21st February 2014 (With Ploughman’s Supper)6:45 for 7pm start at Hale Institute Village Hall, Wings Road, Farnham, GU9 0HD   £10 per person Tables of 6 or 8.   Farnham ASSIST 01252 717710 (Please bring your own drink and glass) All proceeds go to Farnham ASSIST

Father David’s Message

On Friday we celebrate the Feast of St. Valentine as well as St. Cyril and Methoduis.  There will be a Mass at Holy Angels at 12 mid-day to ask God’s Blessing on all the couples in our two Churches and also to pray for those who will be married in Holy Angels and Holy Family this year.  This year the number of weddings at Holy Angels has increased by over 300% so marriage is definitely not going out of fashion and there still seems to be plenty of romance around in Ash.

Next Sunday there will be prayers at both Churches for those who are married and those preparing for marriage and anyone celebrating a special anniversary this year can come to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel after the 11am Mass.  Please let Father David know if you are going to ask for a Marriage Blessing after the Mass.

St. Polycarp’s School Census Forms

Thank you to all the parents who completed the Census Form for St. Polycarp’s School this year.  Copies of the Census will be handed to the School for their records and for calculating the Parish Levy towards the Governors Maintenance Fund.

God Bless you all,                Father David

A Meditation of today’s Gospel

 By Father Flor McCarthy

The most important thing about each of us
is our capacity for goodness.
We can be a source of light. 
We have hands that can care,
eyes that can see,
ears that can hear,
tongues that can speak,
feet that can walk,
and above all hearts that can love.
Unfortunately, through laziness, selfishness,
and cowardice, our light can be dimmed,
so that we become shadows of the people we could be.  Lord, help us to believe in our own goodness,
and to let the light of that goodness shine.
On seeing this light others find their way,
and you will be glorified.