ST. JAMES
THE LESS AND ST. HELEN

CATHOLIC CHURCH, Colchester

with

Mersea, Mile End and Monkwick

Fr
Joseph Whisstock

Fr
Brett
Adams

Fr
Philip Willenbrock

51 Priory
Street , Colchester, Essex,
CO1 2QB

Tel:
01206 866317;   Fax  01206 791213

E-Mail      [email-masked]

www.stjamesthelessandsthelen.org

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY

August 16th 2009 A.D.

Dear Friends

Two very different sets of images might help us
to enter into the spirit and significance of this wonderful feast of Mary’s Assumption into heaven.  The first set comes from primary
school children who had been thinking about Our Lady and had been asked by
their teacher to draw pictures of what she might have looked like.  Unsurprisingly, most of the pictures
showed Mary with the child Jesus
on her knee, or carrying shopping, or baking a cake –all doing ordinary
mum and grandmother things.  Some
looked like scarecrows, some like glamorous pop-stars but what united them
was their ordinariness, their humanity.
Even though the children knew Mary
was very special as the mother of Jesus, she was a woman like their own
mother. The second image comes from the Cathedral in York.
High above the doorway entrance to the choir and the High Altar is an
“Assumption boss” dating from the 15th century.  The vaulted arches stretching up to
the ceiling meet in a number of “bosses”, domes of stone, carved
and decorated with symbols of faith.
Beautifully coloured, it shows Mary crowned and ascending towards heaven in an
oval garland of flowers, supported on either side by golden angels.  A very different Our Lady –
otherworldly - almost beyond us. This celebration invites us to reflect on
the different dimensions of Mary’s
life.  She is as human as we are;
and yet, unlike us, she followed Jesus perfectly and generously and now lives
in his presence, experiencing the fullness of the resurrection.    Mary
was “blessed”, as described by Elizabeth, not only because God had chosen
her but also because Mary believed
that the promise made to her by God would be fulfilled. This promise –
that she would give birth to God’s son – was the prelude to
another promise; Jesus’ promise that whoever lives and believes in him
shall not die but have eternal life.
This promise is for everyone, for all of us here.  Mary’s
Assumption is a sign of hope that where she is, we too, one day shall
be.
God bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK  [Please check any changes]

Tuesday 18th
August     8pm  Meditation Group  [until further notice in Crypt]

Wednesday 19th
7pm  SVP Meeting
Presbytery

Saturday 22nd
3-6pm  Afternoon
Tea
C.B.  Hall [see below]

DAILY:                 8:35am; Rosary &Divine
Mercy  [Wednesdays 11:30am]

EVENING
PRAYER:
Monday to
Friday: 5:45pm @ No. 48 Priory St

PRAYER
GROUP:                                           Mondays  at 8pm in the Crypt

MEDITATION
GROUP:                                   Tuesdays
at 8pm in the Crypt

EXPOSITION:
Saturdays at 9:45am – 10:30am

BAPTISMS TODAY:
Valentina Rodriguez Lopez and Alfred
Walker.  God bless these children and congratulations to their families.

SECOND COLLECTION – MARRIAGECARE:  After
all Masses next weekend there will be a second collection for Marriage
Care.  The Coordinator writes:
“As you know, the amount of marriage breakdowns are going up every year
and Marriage Care in a small way helps to resolve some of the conflict which
couples experience during their marriage by means of our counselling
service.  We do not charge for
this service and have to rely on donations from our clients.  Unfortunately these donations do not
cover our overheads: rent of premises for one evening per week, telephone,
on-going training of counsellors.
Our list of clients is long and growing longer.  The sooner we can help,
the more chance we have in saving a marriage.  Marriage Care is also very committed
to those preparing for marriage and, again, the donations from couples hardly
cover outgoings. Both Marriage Preparation Providers and Counsellors have to
go through a strict selection procedure followed by a 3-day training
course.  Your generosity will enable
us to train more people in the autumn so that we can continue the work we do
for the Catholic Church”.

BOOK SALE:  Holiday Reading – [6 novels for
£1] – Children’s Books, Gardening, Cooking etc., Sale in
the Cardinal Bourne Hall after the 8am and 10:30am Masses during the holiday
period. Proceeds to Justice & Peace Funds.

THANK YOU FROM MONKWICK:  Joan wishes to thank everyone for the support, donations and coming to
her Coffee Morning.  £140
was raised .

PARISH FAMILY AFTERNOON TEA: Come and join us for homemade sandwiches, cakes, breads, scones. Tea,
coffee and soft drinks.  In the
Cardinal Bourne Hall this coming Saturday, 22nd August, 3pm – 6pm.  Cost £5 Adults; £3
children.  Tickets available at
the door.  Thank you.  Frances and Friends.

MASS FOR CATHOLICS FROM ZIMBABWE:  At the Blessed Sacrament
Church, Melbourne Avenue,
Chelmsford on Friday 28th
August at 4pm: the
celebrant will be Fr Xavier Munyongani. After Mass
there will be light refreshments in the parish hall and to facilitate preparations,
please contact the Coordinator, Ben Mpamguri on
01245 290240.

The
Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society -  Golf Classic -  Friday 11th September 2009.  2009
is a very special year for BCCS, as it sees us celebrating our 25th
Anniversary.  We are proud and privileged to say we have been
supporting children and families in our community for the last 25
years.  However, we are aware, as the financial belt is tightened there
is no doubt the impact will cut into families standards of living, and
history shows that the need for our services will increase, and this is where
events like The Golf Classic can really make a difference. This annual
event held at Ilford Golf Club is one of the most popular events in our
fundraising calendar.  The price remains the same as last year: £45
non Ilford Golf Club members / £25 Ilford member price includes
18 hole Stableford Competition, Nearest the
Pin/ Longest Drive Comp & 3 Course Evening Meal. Contact: John Buckley 01708 455887.

KSC
– DAY OF RECOLLECTION:  On Saturday, 19th September at Clare Priory, starting with Mass at 10am; concludes at 4pm.  Cost: £12 which includes soup
and a roll. Transport is by private car so if you would like to go and need a
lift, please contact Bill de Smith on 767597.

AUTUMN
WORKSHOPS AT BRENTWOOD: Connecting with Jesus’ - A Workshop for
Catechists with Mrs Elizabeth O’Brien
(Special Needs Adviser, Diocese of Birmingham)
Saturday 26th September.  9.30am – 2.45pm, Cathedral Conference Hall, Brentwood. Supporting children, young people and adults
with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Autumn
RCIA Study Day: Saturday 10th October    10.30am – 3.30pm, Cathedral Conference Centre, Brentwood.
‘Food for the Journey’ facilitated by Martin Foster, National
Liturgy Office

SVP OUTING
– TUESDAY, 6TH OCTOBER:   The SVP is arranging an outing to
Brick
Lane Music Hall on this day. Tickets are £30, which
includes the Matinée, Afternoon Tea and
Coach.  For full details and to
book call Anna on 242170 or Ann on 844914.

RE-CYCLE…bicycle
aid for Africa. A locally based Charity
sends unwanted bikes to Africa, to provide people with mobility for work,
school, market etc., If you have unused bikes in your shed [even broken ones
are used for spares], please contact Tony Dixon on 729453.  More info on www.re-cycle.org

IF YOU ARE
NEW TO THE PARISH: please introduce yourself to one of the priests after Mass.  A registration form [on the table in
the porch] will need to be completed.
If you are moving within or out of the parish, please let the parish
office know.

THE PARISH
WEB SITE:  For all contact,
inclusions etc, please get in touch with Don
Clarke.  His email address is [email-masked]

LITURGY FOR THE
ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

August 16th 2009  A.D – Holyday of
Obligation

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

Saturday  August 15th

Sunday    August 16th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30 am

4:00
pm

6:30
pm

Dudley Barker RIP [A]

In Thanksgiving [JH]

Gabriel Lowell RIP

POLISH MASS

Eugene Smith RIP

West Mersea

8:30
am

Parishioners

Mile
End

9:15
am

Holy Souls RIP

Monkwick

10:15 am

Intentions of Joan Boyden

Monday  17th

Feria

Church      9:15 am    D/Rels.
Herbert/Richards Families RIP

Tuesday
18th

ST HELENA, Widow
[Patroness of Colchester Borough]

Church      9:15 am    V.Rev. Canon
Joseph Whitfield RIP

Wednesday
19th

Feria

Church     12:15
pm    James Banks RIP

Thursday 20th

St Bernard, Ab. D.

Church      9:15 am     Frederick, Elizabeth & Angelo Lucas RIP

Friday  21st

St  Pius X, P.

Church      9:15 am     Intentions of Teresa
Crummy

Intentions of Maria Ciarle

Saturday  22nd       The Queenship of the Virgin Mary

Church       9:15 am     Norman Fletcher RIP

Church       3:00
pm
WEDDING – Natasha and James

LITURGY FOR THE
TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF THE YEAR [B]

August 23rd 2009 A.D.

Saturday August 22nd

Sunday   August 23rd

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30 am

6:30
pm

Tony Bickersteth RIP

Dec/Relatives – O’Grady Family RIP

Romulo Balmores RIP

Intentions of Mary
Pink

West Mersea

8:30
am

Canon John Bloomfield
RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

Holy Souls RIP

Monkwick

10:15 am

Parishioners

SACRAMENT
OF RECONCILIATION   Saturday 9:45-10:30am and 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: John O’Hara     [549222]

www.marriagecare.org.uk   or 0800 389 3801.
www.brentwoodvocations.org

The Brentwood
Diocesan Trust – Registered Charity No. 234092