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 FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
[C]

- MARCH  18th 2007 -

Dear Friends

Psychologists tell us that the deepest fear of
children expresses itself in separation anxiety – the fear of being
abandoned by their parents.
Separation anxiety is the fear of living in the absence of familiar
love, of having no place to belong to, of being left at the lost property
office unlooked for and unclaimed, and we don’t need to be a genius to
appreciate that that fear is not
limited to children!  We all know
from experience that there is no such thing as automatic love and, when some
young people leave home, their absence is not registered as a loss but
greeted with relief; relatives may dismissively say “No loss there
then”. That attitude, of writing people off as lost causes, is the
problem in today’s Gospel. The Pharisees – whose name means
“separated ones” –complain when Jesus welcomes sinners and
eats with them.  Rather than argue
the point, Jesus tells a story about a father of two sons who loses them
both. The young one in a far country; the elder one gets lost staying at
home.   The younger son was
totally self-centred yet we can empathise
with his errant ways and desire for freedom. His virtue was in learning from
his mistakes, his willingness to repent.
The elder son is unable to make the same journey: “All these
years I have slaved for you”. He refuses to recognise his brother
unlike his father who, when he sees his younger son a long way off, runs to
meet him.  When someone comes to
meet you, your journey is always shorter.  Probably, we can see parts of these
three characters in ourselves; the father’s keen eye for those who are
lost and a good nose for a party; the younger son wanting to grab and try
everything he shouldn’t; his elder brother making people pay for his
loveless fidelity.  This Lent
let’s pray that each of us will be fit and willing to run;
there’s a lot of people in our lives who are still a long way off.
God bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Tuesday
20th March
12:15pm      Lenten Lunch
U.R.C.

Wednesday
21st  March     9:30am     Stations/Eucharistic Service  Mersea

“                “
“
1:00-2:00pm   Hunger Lunch
Crypt

“                 “      “
7:00pm      Scripture Course [3/10]
Crypt

Thursday
22nd March        7:00pm      A.G.M.
Monkwick

Friday
23rd  March
7:30pm     Stations of the Cross
Priory
Street

Saturday
24th March      10am   Service of Reconciliation [FHC]     Church

“
“
“
11am-3.30pm Lenten Reflection
Hall

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.

SCRIPTURE
COURSE AT ST JAMES THE LESS & ST HELEN continues: Dates:  March 21,28.   April 18,25.  May 2,9,16,23.  Time:
19.00-21.00hrs

Venue: The Crypt, St James the Less & St Helen.   Sister Angela can be contacted  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.

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

HUNGER
LUNCHES:  The Justice & Peace Committee are planning a series of hunger lunches on the Wednesdays
in Lent, at 1pm – 2pm
in the Crypt.  Proceeds will go to
CAFOD.

PRIORY
STREET RECONCILIATION SERVICE:  Will take place on
Tuesday 3rd April at 7;30pm.

MASS OF
CHRISM – BRENTWOOD CATHEDRAL –
Wednesday 4th April:  A coach has been booked
by Harwich Parish and we have been allocated 30 spaces.  The pick-up point is the Gala Bingo in
Osborne Street
at 5.30pm and the cost
is £10.  Pay on the
Coach.  If you wish to book,
please phone the parish office on Mondays,Tuesdays, Fridays.

The deadline to book: A.M. on 30th March.

GOOD
FRIDAY: “Walk of Witness” 12
noon onwards.  More details to
follow.

Service at
the Mercury Theatre -  7.30pm,  which we will be leading this year.

TODAY IS
“MOTHERING SUNDAY”:  We
pray especially for all mothers, and give thanks for their love and devotion.

A SECOND
COLLECTION FOR FLOWERS AND DECORATING THE CHURCH AT EASTER will be taken today at Priory Street
only.  The Mass Centres will, as usual, have their own arrangements.

RECENTLY
DECEASED:  Please pray for the
repose of the soul of Cora Webb who has recently died. Her Requiem will be at
12.15pm on March 28th.       R.I.P.

PRIORY
STREET NOTICE BOARDS: Items are in a process of rearrangement. Contact Teresa Sales with any comments on 795623; 07951
575651 or [email-masked]

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION:
The
children on the Programme will be celebrating their
First Reconciliation on Saturday 24th March in the Church.  Please pray for them as they take this
step on their journey in faith.

EXPOSITION
and CONFESSION: Please note that there will be no Exposition during the morning of
Saturday 24th March – this will be replaced with a Service
of Reconciliation for the children of the First Communion Programme,
starting at 10am.  All are welcome to receive the
Sacrament after the children.

YOUTH
MINISTRY DAY: Invitation to adult volunteers working with young people in parishes- Saturday 24th March 11am-4pm at
Holy Redeemer, Billericay

Contact 01277 265286; [email-masked] or www.bcys.net

PRIESTLY
VOCATIONS: The next evening for men thinking about the Priesthood or wanting to
find out more takes place on Friday, 30th March at Abbotswick. From 6.30pm
with supper at 7pm,
discussion follows, with time for prayer. Contact: Fr Joseph Silver on 01268
553425 or at [email-masked]

MILE END
DAY: Will
take place on Friday 30th March beginning with Mass at noon in the chapel of Colchester General Hospital.

MONKWICK DAY: Will take place on Wednesday
4th April beginning with the Way of the Cross and the
sacrament of reconciliation from 9am.  If any housebound parishioners from
Mile End or Monkwick wish a visit, then please contact the presbytery.

MINISTERS
OF WELCOME MEETING has been arranged on Saturday 31st March in the Crypt, 10-11:30am.  If you would like to become a Welcomer, please join the Meeting.  Further details from the Presbytery.

THIRD
ANNUAL SPONSORED WALK- Colchester to Harwich on Saturday 31st March Contact Theresa Higgins on 523501 or [email-masked]

DIOCESAN
PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES
– Monday 23rd to Saturday 28th July 2007.  For more information, please contact
the Pilgrimage Administrator, Mrs
Cathy O’Connor on 01206 501146.

GIFT AID
BOXES FOR 2007/8: Are available now at Priory
Street.
Because of the Reading
of the Passion on Palm Sunday, John Ross will bring the new envelopes and
give a short talk on Sunday 25th March at Mersea, Mile End and
Monkwick.

VACANCIES:  Diocesan Property Development Manager.  A part time appointment may be
considered.  In the first
instance, please send CV to Gerry Curran, Director of Finance, Cathedral
House, Brentwood, Essex,
CM15 8AT. Tel: 01277
265280. Headteacher
for new Catholic
Primary School in Walthamstow.  Required
from 1st September. Full details on the Schools Notice Board in
the Porch.

EVENING
PRAYER:
Monday to Friday   5:45pm

PRAYER
GROUP:
Mondays
in the Crypt
8pm

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

EXPOSITION:
[Not 24th March]
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.

LITURGY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

March 18th  2007 – “Laetare” and Mothering
Sunday

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

Saturday
March 17th

Sunday   March 18th

6:15 pm

8:00 am

10:30 am

4:00 pm

6:30 pm

John and James O’Leary RIP

Alan Walker RIP

Parishioners

POLISH MASS

Beryl & Noel Blanchette
RIP

West Mersea

8:30 am

Intns. Joan & Albert Donnelly

Mile
End

9:15
am

Holy Souls RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Denise Smith RIP [PW]

Monday 19th
ST JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE B.V.M.

Church

9:15am

Kenneth
Collins RIP

Sidney
and Rose Castell RIP

Tuesday 20th

Feria

Church                9:15am   John Murphy RIP

Wednesday 21

Thursday 22nd

Feria

Church

Feria

Church      N.B.

12:15pm

8:00am

Kevin Doyle RIP

Intentions of Mrs G
& Maria

Friday 23rd

Feria

Church

9:15am

Intentions of L. Anton

Nina Mary
O’Dwyer RIP

Ann Herbert RIP

Saturday 24th

Feria

Church
9:15 am Intns. Anna B Giurlie
& Family

LITURGY FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT  [C]

March 25 th
2007

Saturday March 24th
6:15 pm Stephen Mooney RIP [A]

Sunday   March 25th

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Ken Herbert RIP [A]

Annie Skeet RIP

Intentions of Barry Oliff

West Mersea

8:30
am

Intentions of Maureen Went

Mile End

9:15
am

Parishioners

Monkwick

10:15
am

Ron Lewis RIP[A] & Mary
H Davies RIP[A]

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