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 FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

MARCH  25th 2007 A.D.

Dear Friends

The word “adultery” is seldom used
now; it carries for many people moralistic, condemnatory overtones.  This is hardly surprising: Scriptural
condemnations of adultery abound.
Since the time of Jesus, attitudes to adultery have clearly undergone
dramatic change in some sectors of society. It is hard to imagine our modern,
Western tolerance gaining much sympathy then.  The Scribes and Pharisees however have
another, maybe more deadly, agenda when they want the woman punished
according the Law.  To have her
caught in the act of committing an offence against the Law suits their
purposes well.  They knew
Jesus’ reputation as a healer and as someone who forgave sins.  They thought they’d set the
perfect trap, aiming to set Jesus in direct opposition to the Law of Moses.
How will Jesus react?  He raises
the question of the motivation of the woman’s accusers; they are
exposed as acting not out of zeal for the Law, but out of desire to bring
Jesus down.  While the accusers
are following the letter of the Law, Jesus upholds perfectly the spirit of
the Law, shows that justice is not without mercy and demonstrates that truly
transformed behaviour comes from a grateful heart,
not simply out of fear.

The challenge of the Gospel is not whether we can
see ourselves as being caught breaking the Law but as being caught up in
forgiveness.  Can we forgive as
readily as Jesus forgives, or do we dote on people’s wrongdoing,
reminding them of past failures? Can we forgive and leave it?  We spend time wondering whether God
can really forgive without hoarding the hurt.  God’s track record on
forgiveness is clear; he’s had lots of practice and he’s good at
it.  How about our track
record?
God bless

PARISH EVENTS THIS WEEK

Tuesday
27th March
12:15pm     Lenten Lunch
U.R.C.

Wednesday
28th  March    9:30am     Stations/Eucharistic Service  Mersea

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

“                 “                   7-9pm       Scripture Course [4/10]
Crypt

Thursday
29th March         7:30pm     Journey in Faith
Group Rehearsal  Church

Friday
30th   March
12 noon     HOSPITAL MASS [
Mile End Day begins]

7:30pm     Stations of the Cross  St James the Great

Friday
pm/Sat am
Student Cross pilgrims
Crypt/Hall

Saturday
31st March
10-11.30am Welcomers’ Meeting
Crypt

LENTEN OBSERVANCES/HOLY WEEK
SERVICES

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 Great.

SCRIPTURE COURSE AT ST JAMES THE LESS & ST HELEN continues: Dates:  March 28.   April 18,25.  May 2,9,16,23.
Time: 7-9pm in the Crypt.

Sister Angela can be contacted on 867296 or email: [email-masked]
.

MERSEA
NEWS:  On Wednesday, 4th
April: Reconciliation 8:30am followed by Stations of
the Cross and Mass at 9:30pm.

HUNGER
LUNCHES:  The next Hunger Lunch will be on
Wednesday, 4th April.

RECONCILIATION
SERVICES:  28th March-Kelvedon 7:30pm; 29th March- Clacton 6pm;
Greenstead 7:30pm; 30th
March-Lexden 8pm; 3rd April- Priory St  7:30pm. Four priests are available for individual
Confession during the service at Priory
Street.
THERE WILL BE NO CONFESSIONS
– MORNING OR AFTERNOON – ON HOLY SATURDAY.

MASS OF
CHRISM – 7:00PM 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.

Maundy
Thursday        8:00pm Mass of the Last Supper/Veneration
to 12am

Good Friday
-               10:00am
Stations of the Cross
Mile End

- 6th April-                  11:00am
“
“   “
“
Priory Street

12:00     Walk of Witness - Town Centre

3:00pm Solemn
Liturgy of the Passion  Priory Street

7:30pm  Good Friday Service           Mercury
Theatre

Holy
Saturday
8:00pm Easter Vigil                                 Priory
Street

THE GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE at the Mercury Theatre is
being led by our Parish and full details are on the poster in the porch.

RECENTLY
DECEASED:  Please pray for the
repose of the soul of Ralph Davies of West Mersea
who has recently died.  May he
rest in peace.
His Requiem will take place at Mersea on 28th March at 12 noon.

EASTER
LILIES: If
you would like to donate a bloom in memory of a loved one, please enclose an
offering of £2.50 in an envelope marked “Easter Lily” and
deliver to the Priests’ House.

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]

STUDENT
CROSS: A
group of young [and not so young] pilgrims will set out from our Church on
the Saturday morning before Passion Sunday and walk, carrying a cross, to
Walsingham over Holy Week.  If you
would like to find out more, contact Hywel and Pam Edwards on 867325.  If you would like to help prepare and
serve an evening meal on the Friday night [30th March] or an early
breakfast on the Saturday morning [31st March] please let Hywel
and Pam know.

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]

“BORN
FOR THIS” –start Holy Week with a nationally acclaimed musical!  After touring in many Dioceses, a
dramatic and prayerful performance of the Stations of the Cross is being staged
at Brentwood Cathedral on 31st March at 7.30pm.Tickets £8
[£6 concessions].  Call
01675 466254 or www.cjmmusic.com

ALTAR
SERVERS’ MEETING: has been arranged in the Church on Tuesday, 3rd April at 2:30pm.  This
is a general meeting for all altar servers including the Mass Centres.  Up
for discussion will be not only Holy Week services but also a possible day
outing..
Come armed with views for a fruitful meeting.

EXPOSITION
& BENEDICTION [HOLY HOUR] HELD ON 1ST SUNDAY MONTHLY:  It is two years [since Easter 2005]
that the above was instituted in the parish as a result of the Year of the
Eucharist called by Pope John Paul II from October 2004. It is now time for a
review.  After consultation with
the parish clergy, the following has been decided:

From May 2007, Exposition and Benediction will
take place on the second Sunday of every month and it will begin at 5pm [rather than 5:15pm] with Benediction taking place [as
now] at 6pm.  This will ensure that there is truly a
“Holy Hour” [or near enough] rather than a Holy 45 minutes!  So, after next week’s 5:15pm Exposition and Benediction,
the next one will take place on May 13th at 5pm.
Fr Joseph

FINANCES FOR FEBRUARY: The average weekly
collection for February

was £2,036.
CAFOD - £1,073.  Bequest received - £1,610.  We have paid out

£1,289
for Gas bills for the Church/Presbytery, Monkwick, Mile End and the Hall,

and the monthly amount to the Diocese of £2,500.

N.B.
CAFOD: The collection will be taken as usual on the first Sunday i.e.

1stApril, and
not the 8th April as printed on the Gift Aid envelopes.  Thank you.

LITURGY FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

March 25TH 2007  A.D.

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

Saturday
March 24th

Sunday   March 25th

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30
pm

Stephen Mooney RIP

Ken Herbert RIP [A]

Annie Skeet RIP

Beryl and Noel Blanchette
RIP

West Mersea

8:30 am

Intns. Joan and Albert
Donnelly

Mile
End

9:15
am

Holy Souls RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Denise Smith RIP [PW]

Monday 26th
THE
ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD

Church

9:15am

Malcolm
Jiggins RIP

Madeleine
Whiteside RIP

Tuesday 27th

Feria

Church    N.B.     9:30am  Martin Cloherty RIP

Wednesday 28

Thursday 29th

Feria

Mersea

Church

Feria

Church     .

12:00pm

12:15pm

9:15am

Mrs F Dyer RIP

REQUIEM
– RALPH DAVIS RIP

REQUIEM
– CORA WEBB RIP

Intentions of Marjorie Jay

Friday 30th

Genl Hospital

Feria

Church

Chapel

9:15am

12:00pm

Brigid
O’Gara RIP

Alec
Wilkie RIP

Saturday 31st

Feria

Church
9:15 am For
the family of Denise Smith RIP [MD]

LITURGY FOR THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD [C]

April 1st 2007 A.D.

Saturday March 31st
6:15 pm Intentions of Pauline
& Colin Carter

Sunday   April 1st

8:00
am

10:30
am

5:15pm

6:30 pm

IntnsTom Garvin & Family &
Teresa RIP

Ricardo Rios Crocco RIP

EXPOSITION
AND BENEDICTION

Cora Webb RIP [MD]

West Mersea

8:30
am

Thomas and Bridget Smith RIP

Mile End

9:15
am

Sr Laly
Sebastian RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Parishioners

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