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

THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT  [A]  - February 17th 2008

Dear Friends,

With most of the journeys we make in life we know
our destination and how to get there.
If we are unsure, we just check the map.  But our life journey is not so easy
because life is not only a journey; it is a search. We have to discover for
ourselves which paths will lead us
to our destination and which are dead ends; we learn to keep going. “To
travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive….”

In today’s first reading, Abram
dramatically changes the course of his life.  Living as a nomad, he travels
hopefully in the belief that one day his journey will lead to the fulfilment
of God’s promises. A similar man of adventure was St Paul.  He explored the whole of the world
within his reach and this narrow, intense, bigoted religious zealot, whose
life was entrenched within the religion of his fathers and traditions of his
ancestors, suddenly found his narrow perspectives blown apart when he met
Jesus of Nazareth on the road to Damascus.
Paul became God’s champion to the word.  Writing to Timothy,
he tells his friend and disciple that the hardships of life are worth it in
order to preach Jesus Christ to the world, even as he faced his final days
imprisoned in Rome.  This truth, this vision, was seen by
the apostles in all its splendour on the mountain of the
Transfiguration.  There, the glory
of God was seen in the body of Jesus and what the story tells us is that
Jesus is enabled to make his journey to Jerusalem
in the declared love of the father. He does not face the knowledge of his
violent death alone; he is not just the one who is to suffer but he is the
beloved Son of God.  These two go
together.  The suffering and the
glory are evident in the one person of Jesus. In our own journeys we can face
difficult decisions more surely in the knowledge that we are loved and
supported.  When we face our road
to Jerusalem
and we hear our name called in love, the power of that love funds us to face
the future.

In the death of Christ, God demonstrated the
extremes of his love. It is that love we celebrate here; it helps us to
travel hopefully; it enables us to keep on striving until we can rest at last
in the love that knows our name best.

God bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Wednesday 20th        12:45-2pm  Lenten Lunch
Crypt

“
“             7-9pm       Scripture Course
Crypt

“
“
7pm          Monkwick AGM
St Theodore’s

“                 “
7pm          S.V.P Meeting                                   Presbytery

“                 “
7:30pm
Stations of
the Cross
Mile End

Thursday 21st            7:30pm     Finance Committee Meeting
Presbytery

“
“
7:30pm     Mersea Meeting         @ Mervyn Rutter’s abode

Friday 22nd
7:30pm    Stations of the Cross
Priory Street

Saturday 23rd
10-12pm    F.H.C.
Children/Parents
Hall and Crypt

LENTEN OBSERVANCES IN THE
PARISH

STATIONS
OF THE CROSS:  Will take place at 7:30pm on the Friday
evenings during Lent and we will alternate with St James the Great.  This
coming Friday, 22nd  February, Stations of  the Cross  will be here.

STATIONS
OF THE CROSS AT ST
JOSEPH’S MILE END:  At 7:30pm on the Wednesdays in Lent.

CHURCHES
TOGETHER IN CENTRAL COLCHESTER  “Lent
Together”: Lunchtime
Services all at 1pm - on different days during Lent.  Tuesday 19th February at St
Peter’s North Hill; Wednesday 27th February at St James the
Great; Thursday 6th March at Castle Methodist Church [here a soup
lunch will be served from 12:15pm]; Friday 14th March - Eld Lane
Baptist Church.

ECUMENICAL
LENTEN GROUPS AND WORSHIP:  St
Michael’s C of E Church Hall, Mile
End Road from 4pm to 5:30pm on Sundays, February
17th

[Fr Brett to lead], 24th and March 9th.

“LIVE
SIMPLY” LENTEN LUNCHES: In the Crypt at 12:45pm on Wednesdays until 19th March.  Proceeds to our twin parish of Damesfontein,
South Africa.

SECOND COLLECTION:  This Sunday, 17th February, at
the request of the Diocese, there will be a second collection at all Masses
for the upkeep of the places in the Holy Land.

PRAYER WALK
AROUND COLCHESTER:  Wednesday 20th Feb OR Sunday 9th
March. 1.30pm – 5pm.  Starting and ending at 48 Priory Street
with tea and evening prayer.
Praying as we can and not as we can’t and using the “Our
Father” as the guide.  Call
01206 867296; email [email-masked]

OPEN PARISH
MEETING: On Sunday 24th
February at 7:30pm in the Hall.  In our previous open meetings we
have looked at involvement in our church, our parish and our community.
At this open meeting, we would like as many parishioners as possible to be
involved in turning your ideas and plans into action.  Please join us
and make your contribution.                 PARISH
COUNCIL

TO ALL EUCHARISTIC
MINISTERS:  A Quiet Day has been
arranged at Clare Priory on March 8th
from 10am to 4pm.  Cost will
be £12 per person which will include tea, coffee and soup lunch.  Could you please let me know as soon
as possible if you are coming as I am required to pay a deposit for each
person on booking.  Margaret
Wheeler 797850.

ST
PATRICK’S NIGHT CELEBRATION: Saturday 15th March 7:30pm in the Cardinal
Bourne Hall.  Cost: £7.50
for adults and £5 for ages 11 and under.  Frances Galvin.

CHRISM
MASS:  Harwich/Frinton parish are organising coach
transport to Brentwood for the Chrism Mass
on March 19th.Cost - £10. More details to follow.

HUMAN
FERTILISATION & EMBRYOLOGY* BILL:  Early
Day Motion  [EDM]
162 denying IVF children the
legal right to a father.  The
present law requires IVF practitioners to recognise a child’s
“need of a father”. However, the new HF&E* Bill has deleted
the word “father” and replaced it with the term “two
parents” to obviously accommodate “same-sex couples”.  The Right to Life movement is not
“gay bashing”.  The
new Bill ignores the fact that mothers and fathers are not interchangeable
and also ignores the wealth of information/knowledge on the contribution a
father provides. A new class of citizen will be created – one deprived
of the legal right of a father who is male. Complete and send cards,
available in the porch, to MPs to demand the word “father”
remains in the law.  In addition,
it is vital that an informed group meets with local MPs to lobby on the
HF&E* Bill.  Briefing packs on
human embryo research, cloning and possible abortion amendments which maybe
tabled when the Bill is debated are available from John Sutcliffe -01206
851838.  A constituent to
interview Bernard Jenkin MP [N.Essex] is urgently required.

THE
SHROUD OF TURIN:
On the 7th
March at 7.30pm in the Cardinal Bourne Hall, Fr Martin Haigh OSB will be
giving a lecture on the Shroud of Turin.
There is no charge for admission but there will be a leaving
collection to cover expenses and the video and DVDs which accompany the
lecture may be purchased.
“Roll over Sr Wendy Beckett and her Old Masters.  For a similarly appealing,
compulsively viewable, ‘natural’ TV presenter, the Shroud has
found its Sr Wendy in Fr Martin Haigh OSB, a quiet-spoken, youthfully
octogenarian Benedictine monk based at Ampleforth Abbey……”
Ian Wilson, Lecturer and Expert on the Shroud.

NEW HALL
PREP SCHOOL CHELMSFORD is looking to appoint a Deputy Head and a Head of PE & Games from
September 2008. These posts may be residential or non-residential. Visit www.newhallschool.co.uk ; 01245
236192 or [email-masked]
for more information.

PILGRIMAGE
TO POLAND: A pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland
is being organized from 12th May for 8 nights, flying from
Stansted.  It will include
excursions to various shrines.
Cost – including flights, trips and half-board - £450.
Anyone interested can contact Mrs Blackett now on 01277 821886; mobile 07754
163007 or Fr Joseph has some application forms which may be completed and
returned to Mrs Blackett with a non-returnable deposit cheque of £50.

SICK PARISHIONERS:
Please
pray for Emily Begg, June Bickersteth, Marie Dixon, John Fisher, Anne
Gardiner, Denisia Gray, Maria Hanak, Eileen Head, Michelle Huet, Deirdre
Kehoe, Catherine Libby, Sheila Parsons, John Rae, Sheila Shillingford, Alwyn
Stains, Carole Stover, Peggy Wilding.

DAILY:
Rosary 8:40am; Divine Mercy 9am [Wednesdays 11:40am]

EVENING
PRAYER:
Monday to Friday 5:45pm in the Church

MEDITATION
GROUP:
Tuesdays at 8pm at No.48
Priory Street

EXPOSITION:
Saturdays 10am – 11am

JANUARY
FINANCES: Av. wkly colln: £1625 [incl STOs]; CAFOD
£960; Crib Colln £467; SPUC £718; Outgoings: Electricity [ex Hall] £318; Gas [ex Hall] £478;
Diocese £2500.

FREE
DIARIES:  There is a small supply of 2008 Diaries in the porch.
Free!!

PARISH
WEB SITE: For all inclusions, enquiries etc., contact
Donald Clarke at

[email-masked]
or leave envelopes for him at the House.

IF YOU ARE
NEW TO THE PARISH OR VISITING please introduce
yourself to one of the priests after Mass.  If you are moving within or out of the
parish, please let us know in writing.

GIFT
AID:  If you are a tax payer and
wish to donate by way of Gift Aid at no cost or inconvenience to you, please
contact John Ross, the Co-Ordinator on 01206 366077.

LITURGY FOR THE FIRST
SUNDAY OF LENT  A]

February 10TH  2008
A.D –

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

Saturday  February 16th

Sunday
February 17th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30 am

4:00
pm

6:30
pm

Charlie Zammit RIP

Beatrice and Geoffrey Foley RIP

Intentions of Rose Halligan

POLISH MASS

Denise Smith RIP

West Mersea

8:30
am

Henry Johnson RIP

Mile
End

9:15
am

Parishioners

Monkwick

10:15 am

Maria Lumsden RIP  [L &N]

Monday 18th

Feria

Church               9:15 am  Dec’d Rels:Herbert/Richards Families RIP

Joseph Savage RIP [A]

Tuesday 19th

Wednesday 20th

Feria

Church               9:15 am   Stephen Hilton RIP

Feria

Thursday 21st

Friday 22nd

Saturday 23rd

Church
12:15 pm  Michael Treby RIP

Canon
John Bloomfield RIP

Feria

Church                9:15 am   Kevin Doyle RIP

THE CHAIR OF ST PETER

Church                9:15
am   Harold Shore RIP

Frederick, Elizabeth & Angelo Lucas RIP

Feria

Church
9:15 am  Margaret Gunton RIP [A]

LITURGY FOR THE THIRD
SUNDAY OF LENT  [A]

February 24TH  2008 A.D.

Saturday  February 23rd

Sunday    February 24th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Matthew O’Toole RIP

Intentions of Mary
and Brian Hyland

Fernando Gomez RIP

Intentions of Bernard Gardner [Australia]

West Mersea

8:30
am

Parishioners

Mile End

9:15
am

Michael Piquet-Wicks RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Kath Morrissey RIP

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