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
EASTER [C]

April 29th 2007 A.D.

Dear Friends

A famous actor at a social function recited
poems, love songs and pieces from Shakespeare until eventually one of the
guests, an elderly priest, asked him to recite Psalm 23 – “The
Lord is my Shepherd”.  The
actor’s performance was technically perfect and warmly applauded.  The tables were then turned when the
actor asked the priest to recite the same psalm.  His delivery was far from perfect, he
faltered repeatedly but, as he reached the end of the psalm, many in the
audience were moved to tears.  The
actor said: “The difference between us is: I know the passage –
he knows the Shepherd”.  In
today’s gospel, Jesus points to himself as the shepherd of a flock.  He says he knows his sheep and that they know him for they listen to his voice.  In a sense, our growth in faith is a
moving beyond knowing about Jesus to getting to know him; having a real,
living relationship with him. It’s the difference between religion and
faith, between theory and experience.

Throughout
the Easter season we are invited to reflect on what it means to be baptised and to live as a member of Christ’s Body,
the Church.  One consequence of
our baptism is that we are all called to live the Christian vocation, and
each of us has a particular vocation in life.  When you think about yourself, do you
see yourself as a pioneer or a settler?
Is the Church made up of both kinds of people?  Like St Paul who, as a tent-maker was good at
moving on and, as we hear in today’s reading, do we need more pioneers
in the Church? Every community needs both kinds: people who call the
community away from stagnation and people who build up the community.  Every person here has a vocation to do
one or the other.  Let us pray for
each other’s vocation.
God bless

EVENTS THIS WEEK

Wednesday 2nd
May   7pm       Scripture Course
Crypt

Thursday 3rd
May
7:30pm  Mass for the Feast of St James      Church

7:30pm  Journey in Faith Meeting
Crypt

Friday 4th
May
7pm
First Friday Mass
Monkwick

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR
VOCATIONS:
Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is a day of
prayer for priesthood and consecrated life kept by the universal church. “In
God’s house we must try to accept any job…for we know that our
reward depends not on the job itself but on the faithfulness with which we
serve him” – Pope John Paul I

ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY:  This weekend there will be
a short address at the end of each Mass by a Member of the St Vincent de Paul Society.

BAPTISMS
TODAY: Samuel Connor Davies and Lucas Sean
Benerayan.
May
God bless these children and congratulations to their families.

RECENTLY
DECEASED:
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Mr A Gandolfini
and Tony Bickersteth who have recently died. May
they rest in peace.  The Requiem Mass for Tony Bickersteth will be at 9.15am on Friday, 11th May.

SCRIPTURE
COURSE:
on Wednesdays - 2nd, 9th, 16th May; 6th, 13th,
20th, 27th June
at 7pm in the Crypt. Sr Angela can be contacted on
867296 or email: [email-masked]

THURSDAY 3rd
MAY:   Is the patronal
feast of our Parish.  Mass will be
celebrated at 7.30pm  to enable those parishioners to attend
who normally are unable  to get to
morning Mass.

PASTORAL
PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS:  Nominations are now open
for the elections to the PPC.  You
can self nominate or get a friend to nominate you.  Forms are at the back of the church
and please hand into the Presbytery.
Nominations close on the 13th May. This is to allow for
elections if necessary before the AGM on the 24th June.

ALTAR SERVERS: Any child who has made,
or is making, his or her First Holy Communion is asked to consider whether
they would like to serve at the altar during Sunday Mass.  If so, then you are invited to a
meeting in the church on Wednesday, 16th May at 3;30pm.  A
parent or guardian must accompany the child.  If you cannot come to the meeting,
then please speak to one of the clergy. Thank you.
Fr Joseph

SPRING COFFEE
MORNING: The
Clergy invite you to a Coffee Morning at 51 Priory Street on Friday 18th
May from 10am to 12 noon.  All donations of cakes, pastries,
etc., would be very welcome.

CELEBRITY
ORGAN RECITAL: At Brentwood Cathedral on 19th May at 7.30pm by Margaret Phillips who is Professor
of Organ at the Royal College of Music, and an international concert
organist, enjoying enormous prestige.
Tickets available from the Music Office, Cathedral House; 01277 265288,
at £10 [£7.50 Students] Cheques payable
to Brentwood Cathedral Music.

BRENTWOOD CATHOLIC CHILDREN’S SOCIETY:  [1]
Vacancy for Deputy Director:  Full details of this position can be
found on the poster in the porch.

[2] Annual Sponsored Walk – Saturday 19th May.  Contact Laura Williams on 01268 784544.[3] The Mayor of Brentwood
for 2007/8 has chosen to support two charities for his inaugural year,
Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society and Gt
Ormond Street Hospital.  There is
a Mayor’s Charity Golf Day
at Warley Park Golf Club on Friday, 8th
June.  Booking forms are available
from Diana in the Parish Office and the closing date for their return to the
Mayor’s Secretary is Friday, 11th May.

PARISH
PILGRIMAGES IN THE DIOCESE:  [1] Wanstead Parish – Rome:
28th May to 4th
June.  Stay at Palazzola, visit several beautiful gardens around Rome and Mass at The
English College. Call Siobhan Frecker on 0208 989
8567 or email [email-masked]   [2] St
John Vianney
Church, Clayhall
-  Holy Land: July 20th
– 28th 2007;  and Turkey: October 19th-26th 2007.
Both pilgrimages take place during school holidays.  For more information contact Fr Jeba Marshall on 020 8550 4540. [3] A parishioner from St
John Payne is organising a Pilgrimage to Medjugorje: September 6-13th. Ring
Jan Cavanagh on 01473 730426 for full details.

YOUTH
NEWS:  [1] Walsingham House Re-dedication.  Saturday 26th May.  12.00 Mass with Bishop
Thomas followed by simple buffet, tours of the House,
plenty for children – face painting, bouncy castle etc., Celebrate with
the youth of the Diocese on palm-fringed Canvey Island! For catering please RSVP [email-masked]
or call 01268 515970. [2] Summer
Lourdes – 21st - 29th July. If you are in
school year 10-13, there are still
a few places remaining. Cost £410 fully inclusive of travel, hotel and
all meals.  Bursaries are
available to help with costs.  Email [email-masked]
or www.bcys.net or phone 01277 265286.

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, Richard Hadcock, Eileen Head,

Michelle
Huet, Deirdre Kehoe, Catherine Libby, Luke McShane, 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 FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER [C]

World Day of Prayer for
Vocations - April 29th
2007 A.D.

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

Saturday
28th   April

Sunday
29th   April

6:15
pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30 pm

Charlie Zammit RIP

Stephen Hilton RIP

Denise Smith RIP

Sheila O’Sullivan RIP

West Mersea

8:30 am

Gina and Tony Galea RIP
[A]

Mile
End

9:15
am

Mrs Ethel Irvine RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Parishioners

Monday 30th
Feria

Church

9:15 am

Frances
Hoare RIP

Tuesday May
1st

Feria or St Joseph the Worker

Church                 9:15am  Stephen Hilton RIP

Wednesday 2nd

Thursday 3rd

St Athanasius, Bp.

Church

SS. PHILIP

Church     N.B.

Bp,D.

12:15pm

AND

7:30pm

Cora Webb RIP

JAMES,
App. Feast

Parishioners

Friday 4th

First Friday

The
English

Church

Monkwick

Martyrs,

9:15am

7:00pm

Mm

Intentions of Samantha Hilton

Jay Family intentions

Saturday 5th

Feria

Church
9:15 am  Intentions of Mrs J
Fagan

LITURGY FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER [C]

May 6th 2007 A.D.

Saturday  May 5th

Sunday    May 6th

6:15pm

8:00
am

10:30
am

6:30
pm

Pat O’Brien RIP

D/Rels:
Herbert/Richards Families RIP

Fred Cox RIP

Mary Gallaher RIP

West Mersea

8:30
am

Ralph Davis RIP [D&K]

Mile End

9:15
am

Bob McLaren RIP

Monkwick

10:15
am

Denise Smith RIP [JN]

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