BULLETIN 24 JULY 2005

SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME OF YEAR 1

CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 23 July	Confession on request from 4.45 to 5.15 pm Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm
Sunday 24 July	Sunday Mass at 10.00 am Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon
Monday 25 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Eddie Cunningham
Tuesday 26 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Peter McEvoy
Wednesday 27 July	Mass at 10.00 am for a special intention
Thursday 28 July	Mass at 7.00 pm for Mrs M French
Friday 29 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Jim McGlynn
Saturday 30 July	Mass at 10.00 am for Tommy Burns

PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 24 July	11.00 am	Tea and Coffee after Mass
Monday 25 July	7.00 pm 7.00 to 8.00 pm	Saint Vincent de Paul Society Weight Watchers
Tuesday 26 July	7.30 pm	Keep Fit
Wednesday 27 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 28 July
Friday 29 July
Saturday 30 July	7.00 pm	Private Party

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:
   Julie Kelley-Holland who died recently;
   Annie Quigg 1972, Alex Quigg 1997, Annie Walsh 1969, Elizabeth Fitzsimmons 1999,
   Tommy Burns 1982, Eileen Mathieson 2003 and Alice Gibbons 1997
   whose anniversaries occur at this time;
   and those who are sick.

SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £669.23 - 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 £251.09 - 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.

THURSDAY CLUB
Many thanks to the Thursday Club for their half-yearly donation of £150 for the use of the Parish Centre.

SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL RELIEF
Scottish International Relief is a group that collects clothes, household goods, toys, bric-a-brac and so on for Bosnia and Eastern Europe. What cannot be sent is sold and the money is sent. They also organise 'Mary's Meals', a project running in several African countries in which a meal is offered to the poorest children each day to encourage them to go to school. You can help by having a big clear-out of anything you no longer really need and bring it to the Parish Centre during the week beginning Sunday 31 July. A truck will be here on Sunday 6 August and will stay till about 1.30 pm. Storing in black bags would be a great help. Please be aware that if you miss the deadline we cannot store anything. It could not be simpler. You get your house and loft cleared and many poor people get winter coats, socks and so on and many hungry children get fed. You could also buy a £1 raffle ticket - or a couple - for 'Mary's Meals'.

SAINT PETER IN CHAINS WEBSITE
Over recent weeks, a website has been created for Saint Peter’s and is still under development. Volunteers are required to test that it works properly and advise on its content before its ‘official’ launch next month. If you are willing to help, please send an email message to WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterInChains.net.

The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice.

Faith is putting your hand out in the dark and finding it held.

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

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           1 Kings 3:5.7-12
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, ask what you would like me to give you. Solomon replied, "Lord, my God, you have made your servant king in succession to David my father. But I am a very young man, unskilled in leadership. Your servant finds himself in the midst of this people of yours that you have chosen, a people so many its numbers cannot be counted or reckoned. Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil, for who could govern this people of yours that is so great?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon should have asked for this. "Since you have asked for this", the Lord said "and not asked for long life for yourself or riches or the lives of your enemies, but have asked for a discerning judgement for yourself, here and now I do what you ask. I give you a heart wise and shrewd as none before you has had and none will have after you."

Second Reading Romans 8:28-30
We know that by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him, with all those that he has called according to his purpose. They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son, so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. He called those he intended for this; those he called he justified, and with those he justified he shared his glory.

Gospel Matthew 13:44-52
Jesus said to the crowds, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.' Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Have you understood all this?" They said, "Yes." And he said to them, "Well, then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old."