BULLETIN                    23 DECEMBER 2007

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT IN YEAR 1


FATHER MATT AND FATHER JOHN WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

CHURCH SERVICES

Saturday 22 December

Confession on request from 4.30 to 5.15 pm  
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm

Sunday 23 December
Sunday Mass at 10.00 am
Sunday Mass at 12.00 noon
Monday 24 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Peggy McLaughlan
Christmas Vigil Masses at 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm
preceeded by Carols at 5.15 pm and 8.15 pm
Tuesday 25 December
Christmas Day
Mass at 10.00 am
Wednesday 26 December
Feast of Saint Stephen
Mass at 10.00 am for Jessie Brown
Thursday 27 December
Feast of Saint John
Mass at 10.00 am for Maureen Regan
Friday 28 December
Feast of The Holy Innocents
Mass at 10.00 am for Cosimo and Arturo Farro   
Saturday 29 December
Mass at 10.00 am for Vincent O'Connell


PARISH CENTRE EVENTS

Sunday 23 December
10.00 am
10.00 am
11.00 am

Children's Liturgy
Sacramental Preparation
Tea and Coffee after Mass  

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
   John Dolan, Kitty Boyle (Stevenston) and John Asken (Carntyre)
   who died recently and
   Patrick McLaughlin 1998, Peggy Hamilton, Mereno Berti 2003,
   
Peggy McLaughlan 2006, Bessie O'Rourke 2005, Bessie Delahunt 2006,
   Margaret Shanks 1966, Tom Finn 1993, Isobel O'Hare Rae 2004,
   Patrick Quinn 1969, Anne-Marie Jenkins 2005, Jessie Brown 1975,
   Molly Cosgrove 1994, Arthur Robertson, Arturo Farro 1994 and
   Mary Dorian Stirling 1999 whose anniversaries occur at this time
.

SUNDAY COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection amounted to £679.58 - many thanks. Banker's Orders amount to an average of £4300 per month. Each month £4000 is repaid to the Diocese for the building loan and levy.

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.

PARISH CENTRE COLLECTION
Last weekend's collection for the Parish Centre amounted to £328.70 - many thanks.

NATIVITY SET RAFFLE
Raffle tickets for a Nativity Set with Shed costing 50p a strip are on sale at the stall. The draw will take place at the Sunday Teas today.

SAINT PETER'S PRIMARY 7
Primary 7 pupils of Saint Peter's School would like to say a big thank you to everyone who supported their Christmas Sale on 25 November and all parents who bought at the infant performance. We raised £271.35. Thanks again and a Merry Christmas to you all!

2008 DIARIES
2008 Diaries are available at the stall at a cost of 50 pence.

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society would welcome any gifts of non perishable, in-date foodstuffs to supplement its stock for food parcels and so on. A box has been placed in the porch for such donations.


ARDROSSAN CHURCHES CAROL SERVICE
The collection at the Ardrossan Churches Carol Service raised £533.92 which will be passed on to MacMillan Nurses.

A SCOTTISH FAREWELL TO FATHER JOHN
Father John returns to Africa at the beginning of February. We plan to 'roll-up' our usual Saint Andrew's Night Social and Burns Supper into A Scottish Farewell to Father John on two dates. On Friday 25 January, there will be a meal and Scottish entertainment at 7.20 pm for 7.30 pm to 11.00 pm in the Parish Centre. Tickets cost £10 and will be on sale from the Parish Office from Monday 7 January. Call in and collect or book by phone on 464063. They will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Please wear something tartan, if only a ribbon. On Sunday 27 January form 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm, there will be an 'open house' event in the Parish Centre with Scottish snacks - roll and sausage, hot pies, lentil soup and so on. Come anytime and spend an hour or so chatting. Envelopes for anything you wish Father John to use in Tanzania will be available in January.


  There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make  
as a reflection of your values, desires, affections and traditions.



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 7:10-14
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above. No, Ahaz answered I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men without trying the patience of God, too? The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us.

Second Reading           Romans 1:1-7
From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures. This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took, was a descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, then, who are God's beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.

Gospel           Matthew 1:18-24
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.