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

NINETEENTH SUNDAY  OF THEYEAR [B]

August 13th
2006 A.D.

Dear Friends

How often do we delay our forgiveness?  So long that we are left standing at a
graveside quietly whispering forgiveness to a lowered coffin?  A message telegrammed from the
cemetery is a classic case of too little too late.    We hoard our hurt;
watching over our aging grudges as if they were valuable antiques.  We rarely think of a God who gets
depressed at our hardened attitudes, a God whose good mood changes to sadness
when he sees how mean we are with the forgiveness he offers so
generously.  St Paul in the second reading today shows
us the way. This is the same St Paul
who persecuted Christ by hunting down the disciples with military precision
and determination, arranging their trials and attending their
executions.  He so continued until
he was confronted by a large paradox – the forgiveness of the one he
was persecuting; an overwhelming experience which turned his life around; it
gave him a sense of his own worth stronger than the sense of his own sin; it
committed him to sharing the forgiveness he had received from Christ.

Our faith tells us that God has made an eternal
habit of forgiveness. He is a professional forgiver, not least because he has
so much practice. The only way we can become accomplished forgivers is to
forgive readily - practice makes perfect. When we forgive readily, we
don’t hoard hurt and grudges, we don’t assemble a junk-room of
spitefulness. Not only does that keep our lives uncluttered, it is also a
sure way of cheering up the Holy Spirit of God.

Honouring Our Lady had a late
start in the life of the Church.
In the first four centuries there was no devotion to her and only
after the divinity of Christ was proclaimed in the early councils of the
Church did attention then turn to Mary.  At the Council of Ephesus in 431 the
Church gave her one of the oldest titles –Theotokos
– literally meaning God-bearing, thereby affirming that the Son of God
had a human birth.  But it
wasn’t until Vatican II in 1964 that a council of the church referred
to Mary as “Mother of
God”.  The dogma of the
Assumption, proclaimed in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, has its origins in the popular
faith of the Christian community.
The definition does not decide whether Mary
died or not before being taken to heaven but states she enjoys eternal life
with her Son. In the Magnificat, Mary is the lowly handmaid, rejoicing in the love
of God her saviour and blessing him for all he
accomplishes for her.  We also see
Mary as the radical woman. She
voices a protest against what we all take for granted; the mighty will
prevail over the weak; the well-fed nations will thrive while others starve;
the politically strong will occupy the thrones of power.

Such is the woman we celebrate on Tuesday. Such
are her profound hopes.  So, in
turn, ours should be.                                                          God Bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK

For Mass times for the Feast
of the Assumption please see Schedule

Wednesday 16th
August 7.30pm          SVP
Meeting – Presbytery

Friday 18th
August          6pm
Mass     followed
by Parish BBQ,    See
below

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2006-7:  If you have a child in Year
3 or above and are interested in our Parish’s First Communion
programme, details will be announced in the Newsletter in due course.  Children’s sessions will take
place on Saturday mornings between 10am
and 12 noon
in the Cardinal Bourne Hall.

FR DENIS CARTER –
REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST COLUMBAN – WRITES: “On behalf
of our Society I am writing to thank you most sincerely for the assistance
given to Fr Tom Ryan during his recent visit to your parish….He has
told me of the great welcome and hospitality given to him and of the
co-operation he received in conducting his appeal, which was very much
appreciated.  Perhaps some time
you would say a word of thanks on our behalf to your parishioners for their
wonderful support of our missionary efforts.  Please be assured that you are all
remembered in our Masses and community prayers.”

PRIORY STREET  DAY:  The
feast of St Helena on the 18th
August will be marked by a Day, during which local visits to the sick and
housebound will be made.  If there
is anyone particularly in need of a visit, please telephone the parish
office. Mass will be celebrated at 6pm.
There
will not be a 9.15am Mass.

PARISH BARBECUE: Mass will followed by a family BBQ in the Presbytery garden. As
numbers have to be limited to 100, please put your name and the number of
people coming on the list in the Church porch.   Entrance £3 [to include a
burger].  Proceeds to Parish
funds.  Raffle.  Please bring your own drinks.    Helpers welcome.

VACANCIES FOR A HOUSE MOTHER
AND DEPUTY to run the Good Counsel Home for mothers/expectant mothers in West London.
Both jobs are part-time live-in positions.  Applicants must be committed
pro-lifers and should understand and support the teachings of the Roman
Catholic Church.  For full job
description, please call Clare McCullough: 020 7723 1740; [email-masked]

PRIORY STREET THEATRE GROUP:
Presents
“THANK YOU FOR THE MUSICals”.
In the Cardinal Bourne Hall on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 6th/8th/9th
September.  Starts 7.30pm.  Adults £4.50; children and
concessions £2.50.  Tickets
from Lesley 512310 or Claire 540450.
Came and just watch or join in the music from four musicals.

THE CO1 SPONSORED WALK:  We are asked to publicise this
sponsored walk, around the CO1 postcode boundary, which takes place on
Saturday September 23rd.
The start time of 2pm
is to be confirmed.  The Christian
Youth Charity, Youth Culture Limited, is renovating Holy Trinity
Church into a youth
outreach centre and public café and needs to raise £300,000 to
include funding a youth worker.
The walk is open to both adults and children,
should only take 1 hour, with refreshments at the finish.  Contacts: [email-masked] and www.co1.org.uk .

NOW THAT SUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE
IN FULL SWING its time to beat the stores to it and advertise our pre-Christmas
activities!: GRAND DRAW & PARISH SOCIAL to
be held on Saturday 18th November at 7.30pm in the Cardinal Bourne Hall.  Thanks to the generosity of
parishioners donating prizes, this Event was very successful last year and
£2,745 was raised for the church refurbishment.  May we again ask for Grand Draw prizes?  Small electrical goods [NEW only
please to comply with regulations], bottles of spirit, wines etc., Please
contact Bernie on 549524 or Ron and Margaret on 797850.

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

EVENING PRAYER:
Monday to Friday 5.45pm

PRAYER GROUP:
Mondays in the Crypt – 8pm

MEDITATION GROUP:
Tuesdays at 48 Priory
Street – 8pm

EXPOSITION:
Saturdays 10am – 11am

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

FINANCES:  Last week you gave £1,532. + standing
orders of £487.   Thank
you very much.

THE PARISH WEB SITE, is detailed on the front of the Newsletter.  For ALL contact, inclusions
etc., -  please
contact Donald Clarke.  His e mail address is
[email-masked].  Otherwise Donald may be contacted via
the Presbytery.  Please leave
envelopes marked for his attention.

LITURGY
FOR THE NINETEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR [B]

August 13th  2006

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

Saturday August 12th

Sunday   August 13th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Lionel
Wright RIP

Intentions
of Lea Mary Kernat

Marie
Quinn RIP

Elizabeth
Higgins RIP & Descendants

West Mersea

8:30 am

Anne
Kane RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

John
Jo Kelly RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Parishioners

Monday 14th
St  Maximilian Kolbe, Pr .M.

VIGIL

Church

Mersea

9:15 am

7:30 pm

Willum Culley and  Higgins Family

Intentions of Paul Galea

Tuesday 15th

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY [Holy
Day]

Church               9:15 am    Private Intention

Wednesday 16

Thursday 17th

Church

Church

Feria

Church

Feria

Church

12:15 pm

7:30 pm

9:15 am

9:15 am

Clarke
Family RIP

Holy
Souls RIP

D/Rels. Fuller & Farrell Families RIP

Francis
Mattison RIP&Ints.MrsOlive
Mattison

Friday 18th

Patronal
Feast

Church

6:00  pm

Annie
Schaberg RIP

ST HELENA, WIDOW

Intentions
of John & Myra Dolamore

Charlie
& Annie Schaberg RIP

Holy
Souls RIP

Saturday 19th

Feria

Church

9:15 am

Sybil
Kathleen Lyons RIP

LITURGY
FOR THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR [B]

August 20th 2006 A.D.

Saturday
August 19th

Sunday    August  20th

6:15
pm

8:00 am

Una
Close RIP

Donor’s
Intention

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Baby
Christopher Daly RIP

Lillie
Fenton RIP

West Mersea

8:30 am

Teresa
Garvin RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

Parishioners

Monkwick

10:15
am

Intentions of Denise Smith

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)

The Brentwood
Diocesan Trust – Registered Charity  No. 234092