BULLETIN                 3 DECEMBER 2006

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT IN YEAR 3


CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 2 December
Confession on request from 4.30 to 5.15 pm
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm for James Cummings  
Sunday 3 December
Sunday Mass at 10.00 am
Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon   
Monday 4 December
Mass at 10.00 am for May Duncan
Tuesday 5 December
Mass at 10.00 am for May Duncan
Sacrament of Reconciliation for Primary Four Pupils  
Wednesday 6 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Jihad Abdallah
Thursday 7 December
Mass at 7.00 pm for Jean Rice
Friday 8 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Gerard McCulloch
Saturday 9 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Bernard Porelli


PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 3 December
10.00 am
10.00 am
11.00 am

Children's Liturgy
Sacramental Preparation
Tea and Coffee after Mass

Monday 4 December
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.00 am
12.30 to 3.00 pm
2.00 to 3.00 pm
5.30 to 6.30 pm
6.30 to 8.00 pm
7.00
7.00 to 8.00 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Parents and Toddlers
Nursery

Cardiac Rehabilitation
Rainbows
Brownies
Saint Vincent de Paul Society
Weight Watchers

Tuesday 5 December

8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.00 am
12.30 to 3.00 pm
1.00 to 3.00 pm
7.00 pm
7.30 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Nursery
Thursday Club
Saint Anne's Guild
Keep Fit

Wednesday 6 December

8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.00 to 11.00 pm
12.30 to 3.00 pm
12.30 to 2.30 pm
5.00 to 6.00 pm
6.00 to 7.00 pm
7.00 pm
7.30 pm

Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Kindergarten
Nursery
Kindergarten
Street Dance for 13 to 18 year olds 
Burakudo Karate Club
Special Religious Development (SPRED)
Ignatian Prayer Group
Thursday 7 December
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.00 am
12.30 to 3.00 pm
1.00 to 2.30 pm
2.00 to 3.00 pm
6.00 to 7.30 pm
6.00 to 8.00 pm
7.30 to 9.00 pm

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

Cardiac Rehabilitation
Brownies
Italian Class
Girl Guides

Friday 8 December
8.00 to 5.30 pm
9.00 to 11.30 am
9.30 to 11.30 am
12.30 to 3.00 pm
Wrap-around Care for 3 to 5 year olds
Nursery
Parents and Toddlers
Nursery
Saturday 9 December
1.30 pm
Private Birthday Party

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
   Jack Gartland and Hugh Wyllie who died recently;
   Gordon Alexander Smith 1997, Isabella McGoogan 1998, Mary Martin 1983,
   Margaret Shanks 199, Rose Smith 1999, Anne Thompson, May Shanks 1990,
   Alexander Merrick 2001, Jean Graham, Rose Smith 1999, Robert Shanks 1996,
   Sarah Braniff 1961, John McKay junior 1972, James Mathieson 1999,
   John Tracy 1999 and Gerard McCulloch 1990
   whose anniversaries occur at this time;
   and those who are sick.

SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £731.65 - 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 £304.18 - 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.

PIOUS OBJECT STALL
Raffle tickets costing 50p each are on sale at the pious object stall for a porcelain Nativity Set. The draw will take place at the Sunday Teas on 17 December.

ADVENT PENITENTIAL SERVICES
Advent Penitential Services will be held in the following Churches at the given times.
  Tuesday 12 December at 7.00 pm - Saint John's, Stevenston
  Wednesday 13 December at 2.30 pm - Saint Mary's, Saltcoats
  
Wednesday, 13 December at 7.00 pm - Saint Brendan's, Saltcoats
  
Thursday 14 December at 7.00 pm - Saint Peter's, Ardrossan

50-50 CLUB
Congratulati
ons to the following 50-50 Club prizewinners:
  October - 199 Annie Watt £25, 226 Nora Moore £25, 3 Michael Sammons £25,
  May       - 147 Morag Farro £25
  November - 93 John Clarke £25, 247 Margaret Quigg £25, 74 Michelle Miller £25, 155 John Craig £25

REFURBISHING THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL
An Evening of Fun and Scottish Folk Music on 25 November raised £200 for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel bringing the total to £1425. Thanks to all who supported this Parish Social. Pictures of the event are on the Pictures page.

CHRISTMAS MUSIC
Stephen Cowan is planning the music for the 8.30 pm Christmas Vigil Mass. He is looking for the help of past, present - and new - choir members. There is a rehearsal on Tuesday at 7.00 pm.

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
The members of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society thank you most sincerely for all your generous support and regular assistance. As you will appreciate there are many requests for help at this time of year and in particular we would welcome any gifts of non-perishable, in-date, foodstuffs to supplement our stock for food parcels and so on. A box has been placed in the porch for such donations.

SACRED HEART FATHERS
The Advent Series begins on Monday 27 November and continues on the following three Mondays in Smithstone House, Kilwinning from 7.00 to 9.00 pm.

SAINT MICHAEL'S MAGAZINES - NOW ON COMPACT DISC
A CD has been produced to celebrate the success of the staff and pupils of Saint Michael's College, Irvine and Saint Michael's Academy, Kilwinning from 1921 to 2007. It contains all twelve school magazines produced from 1957 to 1990. Copies cost £5 each and all profits will be divided between Father Martin Chambers' Mission in Ecuador and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund. Please order your copy from John Walsh.

FORTY SIX YEARS OF BULLETINS
Saint Peter's website now has every bulletin for the past nineteen months and one from every year since the first one was issued in 1960. The Website Author is very grateful to the parishioners who supplied the 'missing' bulletins following recent appeals.

NORTH AYRSHIRE SCHOOLS SENIOR CHOIR CONCERT
The North Ayrshire Schools Senior Choir is performing Paukenmesse - Mass in Time of War - by Franz Joseph Haydn in Saint Peter's Church on Sunday 10 December at 7.30 pm. Tickets are available from Cultural Services Box Office, telephone 274059. Tickets cost £5 or £4 concession. Father Matt is delighted that Saint Peter's has been chosen to host this concert again and hopes parishioners will support this event.

SAINT JOHN'S
CONCERT
Saint John's annual Christmas Gala Concert will take place on Friday 8 December at 7.30 pm, in Saint John's Church Hall, Stevenston. Tickets cost £5 or £3 concession and are available from the Church or at the door on the night.

ADVENT EXTRA
Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent Extras are available at the stall at a cost of 50 pence.

CATHOLIC DIARIES 2007
This is the first year you have been asked to pay for your diary as the publishers were unable to attract any local advertising resulting in no free copies. The cost is £1.

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATIO
N
The children who are preparing to receive the Sacraments next year will celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Wednesday 6 December at 7.00 pm in the Church.

GALLOWAY NEWSLETTER
The Advent 2006 edition of the Galloway Newsletter is available at the stall.

COMBONI CALENDARS
The Comboni family would like to thank you for the £259 they made from selling calendars here.

LIVING WATER MINISTRY
The Living Water Ministry
is conducting its monthly 'Saturday in Saltcoats' Youth Day at Saint Brendan's Church Hall, Saltcoats on Saturday 16 December from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm. Mass follows for those who can stay. Young adults aged 15 to 25 are invited to a day of faith, fun, discussion and prayer. Our theme this month is 'Good Decisions and Standing Out'. Please bring a packed lunch.

THANKS TO SAINT CLARE
Grateful thanks to Saint Clare for favours granted.




  As we grow old, the beauty steals inward.  

  The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon,  
  but only to hold a man's foot long enough to  
  enable him to put the other somewhat higher.    



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           Jeremiah 33:14-16
See, the days are coming - it is the Lord who speaks - when I am going to fulfil the promise I made to the House of Israel and the House of Judah: In those days and at that time, I will make a virtuous Branch grow for David, who shall practise honesty and integrity in the land. In those days Judah shall be saved nd Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the name the city will be called: The Lord-our-integrity.

Second Reading           Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2
May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race as much as we love you. And may he so confirm your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless in the sight of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all his saints. Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

Gospel           Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Jesus said to his disciples: "There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand. 'Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.".