ST. JAMES THE LESS AND ST. HELEN

CATHOLIC CHURCH,
Colchester

with

Mersea,
Mile End and Monkwick

Fr Joseph
Whisstock

Fr
Paul
Dynan

Fr
Philip Willenbrock

51 Priory Street , Colchester, Essex, CO1 2QB

Tel:
01206 866317;   Fax  01206 791213

E-Mail      [email-masked]

www.stjamesthelessandsthelen.org

THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

March
4th 2007 A.D.

Dear Friends

Remembering our childhood
most of us can recall the fear that darkness engendered in us.  Ordinary shapes grew menacing and a
comforting, protecting grown-up was not quite enough to allay our
anxiety.  When day dawned and took
the darkness away, for the time being at least, our worries went away
too.  We use light illuminating
darkness many ways in our vocabulary:- “.. shedding light on the matter; her face lit up;
there’s a light at the end of the tunnel”.  On another level we can become radiant
and aglow – transfigured -  when our name is called in
love. In today’s gospel we hear the story of Jesus becoming just that
as he is recognised by God as “my Son, the
chosen One.  Listen to Him”.
This is someone who gets his name right and that someone is his Father.  Others are not so sure about recognising him. Neighbours
think they know “This is Joseph’s son, surely”. Jesus
promotes the question about himself by asking: “Who do people say I
am?” Risky question as people have a habit of getting it wrong!  Of course no one will fully know until
after the resurrection but meantime, the question is important.  Nobody gets the answer right –
he is not Moses or Elijah – and Jesus goes to the mountain to pray and
when he comes down, he sets his face towards Jerusalem where he will come face to face
with death.  The transfiguration
enables Jesus to make the most difficult journey in his life – the road
to Cavalry.

What was transfigured of
course was not his divinity; as God he was, is, always luminous.  It was his humanity that was
transformed; a man transfigured by his God-ness, made glorious in his human
body.  Was this a glimpse of his
resurrection? Of our resurrection?

God Bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Sunday 4th March
12:00pm   Social Committee Meeting     Presbytery

Tuesday 6th March
12:15pm
Lenten Lunch
U.R.C.

Wednesday 7th March
9:30am  Stations/Eucharistic Service   Mersea

“
“
“
7:00pm  Scripture Course [1/10]           Crypt

Friday 9th March
7:30pm   Stations of the Cross
Priory Street

Saturday 10th March
10:00am
Reconciliation FHC [2/3]
Hall/Crypt

Sunday 11th March
6:30pm   Missa
de Angelis
Priory
Street

LENTEN OBSERVANCES

TUESDAY LENTEN
LUNCHES:  At the United Reform Church
in Lion Walk.  Lunch will be at 12:15pm followed by prayer at 1.10pm of approximately 20/25
minutes.  The Sisters from 48 Priory Street
will lead the prayer times throughout the whole of Lent.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Will take place at 7:30pm this Friday evening at St
James the Less & St Helen.

SCRIPTURE COURSE AT ST
JAMES THE LESS & ST HELEN: How To
read the Old Testament.  Have you
every thought, as you listen to the readings at Mass, “I wish I
knew more about the Bible”?
If this question
is yours, this 10 session introductory course on the bible, led by Sister
Angela Morris, will enable you to discover ways of knowing more an exploring
the significance of the Mass readings for yourself and the rest of the
Christian community.

Dates:  March 7,14,21,28.   April 18,25.  May 2,9,16,23.  Time:
19.00-21.00hrs

Venue:
The Crypt, St James the Less & St Helen.  If you are interested, please contact Sister Angela
on 867296 or email: [email-masked].

A LENTEN REFLECTION:
“Drinking the Cup”.  How do we respond to the Cup of Challenge, Choice or
Suffering?  Saturday March 24th,
11am-3.30pm in the Cardinal Bourne Hall with Sr Helen and Valerie Quinlivan
whose contact nos. are 533819 and 560935 respectively.   More details in the porch.

LENT ISSUE OF “My Day
By Day”.  In the porch there is a complimentary
supply of this new monthly publication from Arch Publishing Ltd., which is
aimed to help us grow in faith by making the Word of God, as taken from the
daily liturgy of the Catholic Church, available in a handy and compact
format. Donations may be made – please put money into Newspaper box.

MERSEA NEWS:  Our Wednesday Eucharistic Service will be preceded
by Stations of the Cross during Lent, starting at 9:30am.

RECENTLY DECEASED:  Please pray for the repose of the soul of Noel Quinn
who has recently died.  May he
rest in peace.
His Requiem Mass is at 10am
on Wednesday, 7th March.

CAFOD:  A representative  from CAFOD, Bernadette West,
who has recently returned from India, will be speaking at the
Priory Street Masses this weekend. The monthly collection for CAFOD will be
taken after each Mass today. If you would prefer to donate using the printed
CAFOD Lent Fast Day envelopes, there is a supply in the porch.  If you are a “Gift Aider”, please make sure your number is quoted
whichever method of giving you choose.
Thank you.

MISSA DE
ANGELIS: Will be
celebrated at the 6:30pm
Mass on the 11th March, the third Sunday of Lent.

THE ESSEX RECUSANT SOCIETY
[Brentwood Diocese Historical Society]: Spring outing to London – Saturday 10th
March, led by Fr Stewart Foster.  Meet at 12 noon outside the Victoria
& Albert Museum to visit the Museum’s
recusant silver collection, followed by a tour of the Brompton
Oratory.  All welcome.  Full details from Isobel Parks –
01268 289678.

BEDA EXPERIENCE –
Holy Week and Easter in Rome
for those considering Priesthood.
The Beda College
in Rome is offering men who might be
considering priesthood the opportunity of spending Easter in Rome from Wednesday 4th
April to Friday 13th
April 2007.  No charge
for accommodation at the College and this is open to all those eligible for
formation – not just older men.
Participants have the opportunity to attend the Chrism Mass in St
Peter’s; celebrate the Triduum in the
College; see something of the city of Rome and experience something of
seminary life and priestly vocation.
More details from Fr Joseph Silver, Diocesan vocations Director, on
01268 553425; [email-masked] or
[email-masked]

DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES – Monday 23rd to Saturday 28th July 2007:  Travel by air [possibility of travelling
by train starting on Sunday 22nd July].  Full board from £530 – by
air; £480 – by train.
For more information, please contact the Pilgrimage Administrator, Mrs Cathy O’Connor on 01206
501146.

HOLY FATHER’S MISSION INTENTION FOR MARCH:  That the training of catechists and lay leaders to
serve the Gospel may be  a constant concern for the
young Churches.

DAILY:                                                   Rosary
– 8.40am; Divine Mercy
– 9am

Except Wednesdays  -
then at 11.40am

EVENING PRAYER:
Monday to Friday
5:45pm

PRAYER GROUP:
Mondays in the
Crypt     8pm

MEDITATION GROUP:                                    Tuesdays,
at 48 Priory St
– 8pm

EXPOSITION:                                                                Saturdays
10am – 11am

SICK PARISHIONERS:  Please pray for Emily Begg, June Bickersteth, Tony
Bickersteth, Ron Collins, Sylvina de Britto, Marie Dixon, John Fisher, Florence
Fuller, Denisia Gray, Richard Hadcock, Eileen Head,
Michelle Huet, Deirdre Kehoe, Catherine Libby, Luke McShane, Patrick
Quinlivan, John Rae, Sheila Shillingford, Carole
Stover.

THE
PARISH WEB SITE: For all contact, inclusions etc., please contact

Donald Clarke.  His email
address is: [email-masked]
. Otherwise

Donald may be contacted
via the Presbytery i.e. please leave envelopes for him

REPOSITORY
OPENING TIMES IN THE CARDINAL BOURNE HALL:

Sundays from after the 8am Mass until 12:45pm.

LITURGY
FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

March 4th  2007

The first Mass of Sunday is on Saturday
Evening at Priory Street

Saturday March 3rd

Sunday   March 4th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

5:15pm

6:30
pm

Tommy Close RIP

Candido de Millo RIP

Dominic Peters RIP

EXPOSITION AND BENEDICTION

Patricia Pryke RIP

West Mersea

8:30 am

William and Mary
Brookes RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

Maureen Byrne RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Parishioners

Monday
5th             Feria

Church

Church

9:15am

11:15am

Holy Souls RIP
[FG]

REQUIEM – DENISE SMITH RIP

Tuesday 6th

Feria

Church                9:15am
Connie Dynan RIP

Wednesday 7th

Thursday 8th

Feria

Church

Church

Feria

Church

10:00am

12:15pm

9:15am

REQUIEM – NOEL QUINN
RIP

Stephen Hilton RIP

Intentions of Clare and Family

Friday 9th

Feria

Church

9:15am

Maurice
Coles RIP

Saturday 10th

Feria

Church
9:15 am  Stephen Hilton RIP [A,R,J&S]

LITURGY
FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT  [C]

March 11th 2007 A.D.

Saturday March 10th                         6:15 pm  Christina Mooney RIP

Sunday
March 11th

MISSA DE ANGELIS

8:00
am

10:30
am

3:30
pm

6:30 pm

MartinCloherty RIP

Ints. of Family of Albert Fuller RIP

SIGNED MASS

Maria des Garcias RIP

West Mersea

8:30
am

Brian McGurk RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

Parishioners

Monkwick

10:15
am

Denise Smith RIP [O&B]

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION                 Saturday
10:00-11:00am & 5:30-6:00pm

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM                        Baptismal
Courses arranged as per Newsletter

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE
At  least six
months notice is required

SCHOOLS
St Thomas More       Head:
Bridget Harris [865722]

St
Benedict’s
Head: Alan Whelan
[549222]

Marriage Care
www.marriagecare.co.uk
0800 389 3801

The Brentwood Diocesan Trust – Registered Charity No.
234092