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

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY OF YEAR [C] – September 16th  2007

Dear Friends,

In today’s Gospel two religious attitudes
collide.  The conflict that Luke
addresses is an important one: what is the correct religious attitude towards
sinners?  On the one hand, the
scribes and Pharisees complain that Jesus welcomes sinners and actually eats
with them whereas they believe in segregation and that hostility is the
answer.  Jesus holds the opposite
view: he believes in association and that hospitality is the answer.  Hence the collision.

The story of the compassionate father who seeks
out the lost son; woman and the lost coins; the shepherd and the lost sheep
is all about discovery and forgiveness.
God dares us to discover him, to open ourselves to his love and
it’s hard to accept a free gift and believe we are forgiven.  Perhaps the difficulty with
reconciliation is not in accepting that we are sinners – we do that all
too readily – but rather in accepting that we are forgiven.  We must open our eyes to our worth, to
know that no matter what we have done, his love
always surpasses our narrow view of God.
It is precisely because we are cherished by a God who loves us that we
should never feel we are beyond his mercy.  Our focus must be to move on from our
mistakes, resentments and failures and begin to concentrate on putting Christ
back at the centre of our lives.
The consequence of that will be that our relationships with others
will be turned around.  All of us
are called to find our own unique relationship with God in prayer and in our
daily lives and as with any physical injury,
recovery does not take place overnight.
As our relationship with our loving father grows and deepens, we begin
to discover who we really are and then we can celebrate together.  Like the elder son in the parable, the
scribes and Pharisees are good and upright.  If their sinlessness
equals lovelessness, what virtue is there in that?
Enslaved by their own religious intolerance? We do
not know if the elder brother accepts his returned young brother. Maybe the
answer is in our own behaviour.

God Bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Wednesday 19th September  7pm    Mass at Monkwick

“
“
“
7-9pm  Scripture Course
Crypt

Thursday 20th September     7:45pm Choir
Practice
Church

CONGRATULATIONS
TO:  Kathleen McDonnell and David
Evans who
married here yesterday.

NATIONAL
CHILD PROTECTION CHECKS FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:
James
Shaw will be available after Mass today, 16th September to receive
and check forms.  This will be the last session.  Any volunteer who has not yet
returned a CRB form and who cannot make this session is asked to contact
Diana at the Presbytery to make an appointment with her.  Please remember to complete the CRB
forms and bring several forms of identification, including three of the
following – passport, driving licence [both parts if new style], NI card, utility bill
showing name and address, birth or marriage certificate.  A cut-off date for submitting CRB
forms will be announced later in the year and a list of positively-checked
volunteers will be provided to the parish after that date.  Anyone not on this list will be unable
to carry on with their valuable voluntary work within the parish.  Thank you.

BAPTISM
COURSE:  The next Baptism Course
has now been arranged.  It will
take place on the two evenings of Tuesday,
9th October and Tuesday, 16th October from 7:30pm to 9pm in the Crypt.  Both
sessions must be attended and the date of the baptism will be
arranged during the Course.  If
you wish to present a child for baptism, there is no need to make an
appointment, just turn up on the 9th October.

MUSIC
GROUP:  The Music Group returns to the 10:30 Mass today. Would all
members and anyone interested in joining the Group please come along to the
next practice which will held in the Church at 7:45pm on Thursday, 20th
September.  For more information,
contact Tim on 512310.

MONKWICK
NEWS: Next
Thursday, the feast of St Theodore, Mass will be celebrated at Monkwick at 7pm and will be followed by a
get-together.

SCRIPTURE
COURSE RECOMMENCES 19TH SEPTEMBER:  This Course, “How to read the New
Testament”, run by Sr Angela, recommences at 7pm-9pm in The Crypt At St James the Less, on
Wednesday 19th September.

ESSEX
RECUSANT SOCIETY: The next meeting takes place on 22nd September at 2.30pm at 93 Queens Road, Brentwood.  The speaker will be Dr Melissa
Wilkinson.  For more details,
contact Isobel Parks on 01268 289678.

BCYS
TRAINING & RESOURCE DAY:  Brentwood Catholic Youth
Service would like to invite both parish volunteers working with young people,
and those wanting to see more done for them, to attend this day at Our Lady
of Lourdes Parish Centre, Wanstead on Saturday 22nd
September from 10am to 3pm. Full details/to book – 01277 265286 or email [email-masked]

BARN DANCE
SEPTEMBER 29TH:  The
SVP are organizing a Barn Dance in the Cardinal
Bourne Hall on Saturday 29th September at 7:30pm.  The caller is the famous Derek
Green.  Tickets are £5,
payable at the door.

MISSA DE ANGELIS- 30th SEPTEMBER :  A reminder that a Missa
de Angelis will be celebrated at 6:30pm on Sunday 30th September.  It is planned to bid farewell to Fr
Paul at that time.

ROSARY:  The KSC are saying the Rosary during
October: at 7.30pm in
the church on Tuesdays, October 2nd
and 9th.  Wednesday, 17th October, 7.30pm at 48 Priory Street, Friday, October 26th, 7.30pm at Greenstead after Mass.

YOUTH
GATHER: 13-14th OCTOBER: MERSEA:  For Ages 14-18 [Y9-13] are invited. Great
speakers, including young people returned from Ethiopia
and India;
activities such as abseiling, songwriting, drama and dance.  Last year about 150 young people
attended.  Full details and forms
at www.bcys.net or call 01277 265286 and
leave your address.

DIARY DATE
- DIOCESAN TWINNING PROJECT:  On
Wednesday, 17th October, Fr Gerald Gostling
will be giving a talk about Dundee and our
twinned parishes in the Conference Centre at Cathedral House from 12:30 – 2:30pm.  His talk will last about 45 minutes,
followed by questions, and then light refreshments will be served.  If you would like to attend, please
advise Diana as numbers are required for catering purposes.

KSC DAY OF
RECOLLECTION AT CLARE PRIORY: Saturday 20th October. Starting with
Mass at 10am.  Bring your own lunch.  Depart 4pm.Cost £10.Transport by
private car.  For further details
of the day’s timetable and if transport is required, please phone Bill
de Smith on 767597.

PILGRIMAGE
TO MEDJUGORJE 22 – 29 OCTOBER: Mrs Carmen Blackett,
the organizer of this Pilgrimage, is anxious to finalise
arrangements.  If you wish to
book, please contact her on 01277 821886; mobile 07754 163007 or see Fr
Joseph.

DAILY:                      Rosary 8.40am; Divine
Mercy 9am [Wednesdays 11.40am]

EVENING
PRAYER:                        For
venue, please see poster in the porch

PRAYER
GROUP:
Mondays
at 8pm in the Crypt

MEDITATION
GROUP:                                 Tuesdays
at 8pm at 48 Priory Street

EXPOSITION:                                                                     Saturdays 10am-11am

SICK
PARISHIONERS: Please pray for Emily Begg, June Bickersteth, Marie Dixon, John Fisher, Florence Fuller, Denisia Gray, Eileen Head, Michelle Huet,
Deirdre Kehoe, Catherine Libby, Maria Lumsden, Luke
McShane, Sheila Parsons, John Rae, Sheila Shillingford, Colleen Thurlow, Carole Stover.

THE PARISH
WEB SITE:  For all contact, inclusions etc, please
contact Donald Clarke.  His email address is: [email-masked].
He may also be contacted via the Presbytery, i.e. please leave envelopes for
him.

THE REPOSITORY  is open each Sunday from after the 8am Mass
until 12.45pm in the Cardinal Bourne Hall.

LITURGY FOR THE TWENTY-FOURTH  SUNDAY OF THE YEAR [C]

Home Mission
Day - September 16th
2007 A.D.

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

Saturday  September 15th

Sunday
September 16th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30 am

4:00
pm

6:30
pm

Thanksgiving to O.L.Lourdes
[HS-Australia]

Sarah Betts RIP

Gerard Coyle RIP

POLISH MASS

Rev. William Oddy RIP

West Mersea

8:30
am

Parishioners

Mile
End

9:15
am

Brian Morrisey RIP
[C&A B]

Monkwick

10:15 am

Brian Morrisey RIP
[J&D H]

Monday 17th
Feria

Tuesday 18th

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

Rev. Patrick
Cassidy RIP

Feria

Church
9.15 am   Alan Walker RIP

Wednesday
19

Feria  [or St Theodore]

Church
12:15 pm
Sybil Kathleen Lyons RIP

D/Rels & Friends of the Bogue
Family

Monkwick
7:00 pm  Brian Morrisey
RIP [PC]

Thursday 20th

Friday 21st

Saturday 22nd

St Andrew Kim Taegon, Pr.M. & St Paul Chong Hasang & Comps. Mm.

Church                9.15
am  Salvina
de Brito RIP

ST MATTHEW, Ap.Ev.

Church             9:15 am   Kevin Doyle RIP

Feria

Church
9.15
am   Mr & Mrs Minator RIP

LITURGY FOR THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR [C]

September 23rd 2007 A.D.

Saturday September 22nd

Sunday September 23rd

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Intentions of Lolly Socki

Thomas and Gladys Lane RIP

Frank Morton RIP

Intentions of Lilian Socki

West Mersea

8:30
am

Jack and Julia Hoy RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

Parishioners

Monkwick

10:15
am

Brian Morrisey
RIP [PW]

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: John
O’Hara   [549222]

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

Vocations                                             www.brentwoodvocations.org

The Brentwood
Diocesan Trust – Registered Charity No. 234092