BULLETIN                      4 DECEMBER 2005                    

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT IN YEAR 2


CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 3 December
Confession on request from 4.45 to 5.15 pm
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm
Sunday 4 December
Sunday Mass at 10.00 am
Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon
Monday 5 December
No Mass
Tuesday 6 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Sarah Braniff
Wednesday 7 December
No Mass
Thursday 8 December
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Mass at 10.00 am for Gerard McCulloch
Mass at 7.00 pm for Jim Mathieson
Friday 9 December
Mass at 10.00 am for the Bill and May Shanks
Saturday 10 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Jim McGlynn


PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 4 December
10.00 am
11.00 am
2.00 to 4.00 pm
Sacramental Preparation
Tea and Coffee after Mass
Birthday Party
Monday 5 December
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm
1.30 to 3.30 pm
5.30 to 6.30 pm
6.30 to 8.00 pm
7.00 pm
7.00 to 8.00 pm
Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Patents and Toddlers
Kindergarten
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Rainbows
Brownies
Saint Vincent de Paul Society
Weight Watchers
Tuesday 6 December

8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm
7.00 pm
7.30 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Saint Anne's Guild
Keep Fit
Wednesday 7 December
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm
5.00 to 6.00 pm
7.00 pm
7.30 pm
Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Street Dance for 13 to 18 year olds
Special Religious Development (SPRED)  
Ignatian Prayer Group
Thursday 8 December
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm
1.00 to 3.00 pm
1.30 to 3.30 pm
7.30 to 9.00 pm
7.30 pm
Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Thursday Club
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Girl Guides
Joining The Church Meeting
Friday 9 December

8.00 to 5.30 am
9.00 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 2.30 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
   Paul McMahon who died recently;
   Gordon Smith 1997, Isabella McGoogan 1998, Mary Martin 1983,
   Margaret Shanks 1994, Rose Smith 1999, Anne Thompson,
   May Shanks 1990, Alexander Merrick 2001, Jean Graham,
   Robert Shanks 1996, Sarah Braniff 1961, John McKay junior,
   James Mathieson 1999, John Tracy 1999
   whose anniversaries occur at this time;
   Stephen Forsyth and Lyanne McKenzie who were married recently;
   Lee Barr who was baptised recently
   and those who are sick.

SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £671.50 - 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 £332.64 - 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.

ADVENT PENITENTIAL SERVICES
There will be Penitential Services as indicated below.
Wednesday 14 December
Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Saltcoats
Thursday 15 December

Saint John's Church, Stevenston

Monday 19 December
Church of Saint Peter in Chains, Ardrossan
Tuesday 20 December
Saint Mary's Church, Largs
Wednesday 21 December

Saint Brendan's Church, Saltcoats

CHRISTMAS MASSES
Christmas Masses in our Church are on Christmas Eve at 5.30 pm and 8.00 pm then on Christmas Day at 11.00 am. There are Christmas Eve Masses at 9.00 pm in Saint Brendan's Church, Saltcoats and at midnight in Saint John's Church, Stevenston.

PORCELAIN NATIVITY SET
Raffle tickets costing 50p each are on sale at the Pious Object Stall for a Porcelain Nativity Set. The draw will take place during the tea and coffee after 10 00 am Mass on Sunday 18 December.

JOINING THE CHURCH
There will be a meeting in the Parish Centre on Thursday 8 December at 7.30 pm for those interested in knowing more about joining the Church and for those who would like a short 'refresher course'.

ARDROSSAN CHURCHES CAROL SERVICES
The annual Christmas Carol Service will be held in the Civic Centre on Sunday 11 December at 6.30 pm. Saint Peter's Primary children will be taking part.

VERONA FATHERS CALENDARS
Verona Fathers calendars are on sale at all Masses this weekend.

CHILDREN'S LITURGY
The Children's Liturgy will begin on Sunday 4 December at 10.00 am Mass for three to five years old and Primary 1 to 3 children.

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL FOOD DONATIONS
The Saint Vincent de Paul Conference has many calls for help at this time of year and would welcome any gifts of non-perishable, in-date foodstuffs to supplement its stock for food parcels and so on. A box will be placed in the porch for any such donations and the Conference members thank you most sincerely for all your assistance.

SAINT ANDREW'S ACADEMY SHOW
The pupils are now in final preparations for their school show 'The Wizard of Oz' which takes place from Monday 12 until Wednesday 14 December. Adult and concession tickets are now on sale at £5 and £3 respectively. The show involves pupils from all year groups and is shaping up to be a truly memorable experience for cast and audience alike. Tickets are available from the school office on 605221.

THANKS
Maria Boyle thanks everyone for cards, gifts, flowers and kind words received during her stay in hospital and since coming home. They were very much appreciated. She is now on the road to recovery.

SMITHSTONE HOUSE ADVENT COURSE
Details of an Advent Course at Smithstone House, Kilwinning are on the see notice board.

2006 CATHOLIC DIARIES
Catholic Diaries for 2006 are available at the stall. Please take one.

 

It is no use giving advice unless you have the wisdom to go with it.


The largest room in the world is the room for improvement.




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           Isaiah 40:1-5.9-11
Console my people, console them, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her time of service is ended, that her sin is atoned for, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double punishment for all her crimes. A voice cries, Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord. Make a straight highway for our God across the desert. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low, let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley; then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Go up on a high mountain, joyful messenger to Zion. Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem. Shout without fear, say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God. Here is the Lord coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him. The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him. He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

Second Reading           Peter 3:8-14
There is one thing, my friends, that you must never forget: that with the Lord, 'a day' can mean a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord is not being slow to carry out his promises, as anybody else might be called slow; but he is being patient with you all, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to change his ways. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up. Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat. What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.

Gospel           Mark 1:1-8
The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: Look, I am going to send my messenger before you; he will prepare your way. A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight, and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of his preaching he said, "Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.".