Newsletter 17 July 2005

BULLETIN 17 JULY 2005

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR 1

CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 16 July	Confession on request from 4.45 to 5.15 pm Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm
Sunday 17 July	Sunday Mass at 10.00 am Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon
Monday 18 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Andy McVeigh
Tuesday 19 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Francis and Mary Ellen Breslin
Wednesday 20 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Charlie Gribben
Thursday 21 July	Mass at 7.00 pm for Sister Jane Frances CP
Friday 22 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Rebecca Murray
Saturday 23 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Robert Ferguson

PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 17 July	11.00 am	Tea and Coffee
Monday 18 July	7.00 pm 7.00 to 8.00 pm	Saint Vincent de Paul Society Weight Watchers
Tuesday 19 July	7.30 pm	Keep Fit
Wednesday 20 July	5.00 to 6.00 pm 6.30 to 8.30 pm	Street Dance for 13 to 18 year olds The Best of Health
Thursday 21 July
Friday 22 July
Saturday 23 July

IF YOU ARE HERE ON HOLIDAY, YOU ARE VERY WELCOME; IF YOU ARE GOING ON HOLIDAY, ENJOY YOUR BREAK.

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
   Agnes Kennedy of Saltcoats and William Higgins of Stevenston who died recently;
   Patrick Carry 1976, Annie McGrath 2002, Brian Narducci 2000, Gordon Joseph Cardinal Gray 1993,
   Monsignor John Barry 2003, John McKay 1993, Agnes McCourt 2000, Charlie Gribben 2002,
   Elizabeth Nicholson 2003, Julia Grogan 1971, Joseph Mulgrew 2002, Margaret Donnelly 1953,
   and Rebecca Murray 2004 whose anniversaries occur at this time;
   Mary Jane McInally who was baptised recently
   and those who are sick.

SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £657.11 - many thanks.
Banker's Orders amount to an average of £4000 per month. Each month £4000 is repaid to the Diocese for the building loan and levy.

PARISH CENTRE COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection for the Parish Centre amounted to £277.07 - many thanks.

BANKER'S ORDERS:
Paying your collection by monthly or quarterly banker's order makes money handling much safer. Banker's Order forms are available in the porch.

CAR BOOT SALE:
Many thanks to all who helped with the car boot sale. The amount raised was £196.50 which goes towards the upkeep of the Parish Centre. The next one will be at the end of August.

LITURGY ON A SUNDAY MORNING
During the 10 am Mass on a Sunday, we offer an opportunity for the young children of the parish to celebrate the Word of God in a form that is suitable to their age. The children leave at the beginning of the Mass and return at the time when the gifts of bread and wine are offered after about 25 minutes.
Due to the increasing numbers this year we are offering:
  - a 3 years old to 5 years old group
    children who are not yet in school starting in mid-August
  - a Primary 1, Primary 2 and Primary 3 group -
    children in the early years of school starting in mid-August
  - a Primary 4 group
    children preparing for the Sacraments of Forgiveness, Confirmation and Holy Communion
    starting in October
In the case of the younger children, you are welcome and encouraged to accompany your child. However, because of Child Protection rules you must 'sign-in' each time and if you wish to assist with the actual running of the Group, you will need to fill in a Disclosure Scotland Form. All of this is very important in the business of protecting children. We require 'Leaders' to assist with the younger groups.

He who kicks up a storm should expect a rough sailing.

Its what you learn after you know it all that counts.

READINGS
The readings for this weekend's Masses are shown below in English. They are available in eleven other languages including French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish by clicking on this link.

First Reading Wisdom 12:13.16-19
There is no god, other than you, who cares for everything, to whom you might have to prove that you never judged unjustly. Your justice has its source in strength, your sovereignty over all makes you lenient to all. You show your strength when your sovereign power is questioned and you expose the insolence of those who know it; but, disposing of such strength, you are mild in judgement, you govern us with great lenience, for you have only to will, and your power is there. By acting thus you have taught a lesson to your people how the virtuous man must be kindly to his fellow men, and you have given your sons the good hope that after sin you will grant repentance.

Second Reading Romans 8:26-27
The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God.

Gospel Matthew 13:24-43
Jesus put a parable before the crowds, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner's servants went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?" "Some enemy has done this" he answered. And the servants said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?" But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." He put another parable before them, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches." He told them another parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through." In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy: I will speak to you in parables and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world. Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, "Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us." He said in reply, "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!"