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 ASCENSION
OF THE LORD  [C]

May 20th  2007 A.D.

Dear Friends

Life is busy with entrances and exits. People are
born and people die; births and
deaths are registered because they
are of public importance.  New
arrivals are cooed over; new departures are prayed for and mourned. The last
we know of people in life is their death, which is what the apostles believed
when Jesus died and why they felt so forsaken.  But death was not the final departure
of Jesus; our faith proclaims that God raised him from the dead and that he
let himself be known to his chosen followers so that they could experience
new life in him.  That new
experience will become the ground of their preaching to others.  However, when Jesus appears to his
disciples, Luke tells us he does not breathe the Holy Spirit on them; they
must stay in Jerusalem
until they are empowered to do so – Jesus has to go before the Holy
Spirit comes.  His going means the
coming of the Spirit.

So he takes them to Bethany, blesses them and his ascension
marks the end of his appearances, celebrates the completion of his
life’s mission.  Now is the
time of the Spirit and when the apostles receive that Spirit they, like Jesus,
will be empowered to minister and preach.  This is the beginning of the Church,
made possible only in the Spirit of God.

Each of us here is a part of the Church, each with a
different role to play.  As the
feast of Pentecost approaches we pray that we, too, will be clothed with the
power from on high because without that outfit we can
go nowhere – like the
apostles before Pentecost – we have to stay put since we have no
resources for ministry.  With that
outfit, we can go anywhere in the power of the Spirit.

God
bless

EVENTS THIS
WEEK

Today, Sunday 20th
May is World Communications Day

Wednesday 23rd May   7pm    SVP Meeting
Presbytery

“
“
“     7:30pm  Deanery Talk at Harwich Parish

Friday 25th May      12:00pm  Mass at CGH  Chapel –Adjacent- Wivenhoe Ward

Saturday 26th May
10:30am  First Holy Communion Mass [2 of
2]

ANTHONY
BICKERSTETH RIP:  June Bickersteth and family would like to thank everyone for
their love, prayers and support for Tony Bickersteth
who died recently.

SECOND
COLLECTION THIS WEEKEND:  Today a second
collection will be taken up for the Sick and Retired Clergy of the Diocese.
The Adminstrators of this Fund wish to thank
parishes for their continued generosity by way of this annual collection,
generous individual donations and bequests – a very important method of
giving.  The demands on the Fund
are mounting and last year expenditure doubled on the previous year.  Your continued help and support is
greatly appreciated.  We remember
in our prayers, Fr Conrad Smith who is now on a period of three months sick leave from Greenstead parish and Fr Gerry
Murphy, a retired priest of the Diocese, presently convalescing.

BAPTISM
COURSE: The next Baptism Course has been arranged on the evenings of Thursday 7th June and Thursday
14th June in the Crypt from 7:30pm
to 9pm.  If you wish to present a child for
Baptism, there is no need to make an appointment.  Just turn up.  Both sessions must be attended
and the date of the baptism will be arranged during the Course.

RECENTLY
DECEASED:  Please pray for the repose
of the soul of Barbara Wynter who has recently
died.  May she rest in peace.  Her
Requiem is at 12:30pm on
Thursday 24th May.

FIRST
HOLY COMMUNIONS:  This weekend
is the first of two that see 44 children in the parish receive their First
Holy Communion.  The second
service is on Saturday 26th
May at 10:30am in Priory Street,
and all parishioners are welcome.
Congratulations to all and their families.  Please note there will be no
Exposition or Sacrament of Reconciliation on the morning of the 26th
at Priory Street.

K.S.C:  The Knights will be reciting the Rosary on Thursday 24th
May at 7:30pm at the
Community at No.48 Priory Street
and on Wednesday 30th May at 7:30pm at St Teresa’s, Lexden, with
Benediction.  Pilgrimage to Aylesford 10th June: Coach leaves East
Hill at 8:45am.  Return from Aylesford at 5pm. Cost £10. Bring a packed
lunch.  To book, call Bill de
Smith on 767597; Joe Mellone on 501592 & 07814
246134 or contact one of the Knights after Mass.

DIOCESAN
PILGRIMAGE TO WALSINGHAM, SATURDAY 2ND JUNE:  Due to insufficient numbers,
Harwich/Frinton Parish regret to advise that the
coach transport has had to be cancelled.

DEDHAM
ECCLESIASTICAL LECTURESHIP TRUST: This year’s Dedham
Lecture takes place in Dedham
Church at 8pm on Thursday 7th
June.  The address is “Do we
have faith in our schools” and will be given by the V. Rev. John Hall,
Dean of Westminster Abbey, a well known educationalist  and author.

DAY
OF CELEBRATION TO MARK THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF
ABBOTSWICK on Saturday, 9th June from 10;30am to 3;00pm at Abbotswick House of Prayer.  Parishioners are invited and the day
includes Mass concelebrated by Bishop Thomas.  If you would like to attend please
contact Sr Camilla, for catering purposes, on 01277 373959 or e mail [email-masked]

NATIONAL
CHILD PROTECTION CHECKS FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:  Coordinators are thanked
for their efforts in part 1 of this major project.  We are now ready to start the second and
final part – the distribution to and collection of CRB [Criminal
Records Bureau] forms from each volunteer.  CRB forms will be left in a prominent
place at each of the 4 churches from this Sunday onwards.  Please would each volunteer collect a
form and complete it.  Volunteers
will then need to bring the completed form IN PERSON together with 3 forms of
identification to the Crypt at Priory Street after the 10.30am Mass on either
Sunday 17th June or Sunday,
15th July. The accepted forms of ID: passport, driving licence [both parts if new style licence],
NI card/number, utility bill showing name and address, birth cert., marriage
cert.  On the above dates, the forms will be checked and identification
verified by a team of parish and diocesan representatives.  We aim to conclude this project by the
end of the summer.  Should any
volunteers find difficulty in attending on these dates, please write to James
Shaw, Parish Child Protection representative c/o The Presbytery and an
additional date will be arranged.

WANTED….
NURSES AND HELPERS to join the existing team in Lourdes for the Diocesan Prilgrimage July 23rd – 28th 2007.  We need you to befriend
, help, assist sick and elderly pilgrims.  This is a truly rewarding week –
all you need is, to be adaptable, with a good sense of humour
and be prepared to be CRB checked.
For more information, contact Cathy O’Connor on 01206 501146.

SVP
SOCIETY SUMMER CAMP:  Application
forms for the St John Bosco Children’s Camp
at Aldham have now been received for both the Boys’
and Girls’ Camps in July and August and are available from the Parish
Office.

DAILY:     [Except
Wednesdays, then at 11:40am]
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,

Pauline Carter, Ron Collins, Sylvina de Britto, Marie Dixon,
John Fisher, Florence

Fuller, Denisia
Gray, Eileen Head, Michelle Huet, Deirdre Kehoe,
Catherine Libby,

Luke McShane, Sheila
Parsons, John Rae, Sheila Shillingford, Carole
Stover.

THE PARISH WEB SITE:  For all contact, inclusions etc., please
contact

Donald Clarke.  His email
address is: [email-masked]

Otherwise, Donald may be contact via the
Presbytery, i.e. please leave

envelopes for
him.

REPOSITORY IN CARDINAL BOURNE HALL:  Open on Sundays from after

the 8am  Mass until 12:45pm.-

LITURGY FOR THE ASCENSION OF THE L0RD [C]

May 20th 2007 A.D.

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

Saturday 20th May

Sunday
21st May

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

4:00 pm

6:30
pm

Marie Townsend RIP

Stephen Hilton RIP

Intentions of Samantha
Hilton

POLISH
MASS

Janice McGill RIP

West Mersea

8:30 am

Ralph Davis RIP [Monkwick Friends]

Mile
End

9:15
am

Herbert Ray RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Parishioners

Monday
21st          Feria

Tuesday
22nd

Church
9:15am    Kevin Doyle
RIP

Feria

Church
9:15am  John Kennedy RIP

Wednesday 23

Thursday 24th

Feria

Church

Church

12:15pm

9:15am

Intentions of Mr L Anton

Intentions of Uncle Jimmy
McKin

St Bede the Venerable, Pr.D.

Cora Webb RIP

Friday 25th

Gen. Hospital

Church

Feria

Church

Chapel

12:30pm

9:15am

12:00pm

REQUIEM
– BARBARA WYNTER RIP

Tony Murphy RIP

Intentions of Miss P Tighe

Saturday
26th

St Philip Neri, Pr.,    FIRST HOLY COMMUNION CELEBRATION

Church
N.B.    10:30am  Intentions of Samantha
Hilton

Int. of family coping with serious illness

LITURGY FOR PENTECOST SUNDAY

May 27th 2007 A.D.

Saturday  May 26th

Sunday    May  27th

6:15pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Una Close RIP

Rev. L. Matthews RIP

Cora Webb RIP

Intentions of Mr & Mrs Guglielmi

West Mersea

8:30
am

Parishioners

Mile
End

9:15
am

Jim England RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Denise Smith
RIP [P & GM]

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

The Brentwood Diocesan Trust – Registered Charity No.
234092