BULLETIN              19 MARCH 2017

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT IN YEAR
1


CHURCH SERVICES
Saturday 18 March  

Mass at 10.00 am for Thomas Rourke
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm for Winifred Kerr

Sunday 19 March  

Sunday Mass at 10.30 am for the congregation

Monday 20 March  

Mass at 10.00 am for Christopher McManus

Tuesday 21 March  

Mass at 10.00 am for Veronica Stevenson by Monsignor Peter Magee

Wednesday 22 March  

Mass at 10.00 am for Frances Stanisforth

Thursday 23 March  

Mass at 7.00 pm for Father Paul Felix

Friday 24 March  

Stations of the Cross at 9.40 am
Mass at 10.00 am for a special intention

Saturday 25 March  

Mass at 10.00 am
Vigil Mass at 5.30 pm for John and Catherine Cahill

The Mass intention list is just over two weeks ahead. Please notify anniversaries as early as you can. Thanks.
Any changes to the above times caused, for example, by a funeral will be notified on the home page of this website.


SAINT MARY'S AND SAINT JOHN'S CHURCH SERVICES
 
Saturday 18 March  
Vigil Mass at 4.30 pm

Mass at 10.00 am

Sunday 19 March  
Sunday Mass at 10.00 am

Sunday Mass at 11.30 am

Monday 20 March  
Service at 10.00 am
Requiem Mass at 12 noon

Mass at 10.00 am

Tuesday 21 March  
Mass at 10.00 am

Service at 10.00 am

Wednesday 22 March  
Requiem Mass at 10 am

Service at 10.00 am

Thursday 23 March  
Service at 10.00 am

Mass at 10.00 am

Friday 24 March  
Mass at 10.00 am

Service at 10.00 am

Saturday 25 March  
Vigil Mass at 4.30 pm

Mass at 10.00 am

 
PARISH CENTRE EVENTS
Sunday 19 March  

11.30 am

Tea and Coffee after Mass

Monday 20 March  
9.30 to 11.30 am
5.30 to 6.30 pm
6.30 to 8.00 pm
7.30

Parents and Toddlers
Rainbows
Brownies
Saint Vincent de Paul Society

Tuesday 21 March  
9.00 to 11.00 am
3.45 pm

Cardiac Rehabilitation
Irish Dancing

Wednesday 22 March  
3.00 to 6.00 pm

Thursday 23 March  
6.00 to 7.30 pm
7.30 to 9.00 pm

Brownies
Guides

Friday 24 March  
9.30 to 11.30 am
7.00 pm
Parents and Toddlers
Family Fundraising Bingo

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
Father Paul Felix, a Verona Father stationed in Ardrossan in the 1970s and who died recently;
Kevin Doherty 1979, Alistair Malloy 2014, Peggy McArthur 1986, Andrew Murphy 1971, Kate Smith 1972, Sam Bannon 2006, Maureen Conway 1999, Denise Devlin 2015, Patrick McDonald, Maria Monaghan 2004, Mary Reid 2002, William Shanks 1952, William Shanks 1987, Susan Reid 2007, Veronica Stevenson 2016, John Pentleton 2014, Hugh Conway 1976, Sister Immanuel CP 2002, Terence McCarroll 1967, Patrick McDermott 1973, Agnes McLaren 1994, May McParland 2016, Isabella Connor 1959, James and Ellen McCarroll 1977, Jane Kerber 2015 and Brenda Simons 2008 whose anniversaries occur at this time and those who are sick.
If deceased members of your family are not on our anniversary list, please tell Canon Matt
, the parish office or contact WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterinChains.net.

SUNDAY MASS TIMES
Sunday Mass times in Saint Peter's are 5.30 pm Vigil and 10.30 am. Sunday Mass times in other local parishes can be seen here.

SACRAMENT OF FORGIVENESS
The Sacrament of Forgiveness is available at any suitable time as well as from 4.30 pm before the Vigil Mass on Saturday evenings.

HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCY
If a member of your family or a friend is sick, please let us know and give us the details. Deacon Bill Corbett (01292 521208, 07904 248948, Rev.BillCorbett@btinternet.com) is the chaplain to Crosshouse Hospital and is assisted by the priest on call each week.

FINANCES
Bankers Orders for the Parish and Parish Centre amount to £3500 per month. We are grateful for your generous support in collections. If you can manage a little more from time to time, it would be a great help. A Standing Order would make the handling of money so much easier. Have you signed a Gift Aid form? If you are a taxpayer the Church would get 25p added to every £1 you donate.

COLLECTIONS
Last weekend's Offertory collection amounted to £613.07 and the Mission collection for the Kiltegan Fathers to £1469.57 - many thanks.

GIFT AID
The Inland Revenue now requires us to use a new style of Gift Aid form. These are available at the back of the Church and on the parish website. If you pay tax, please complete the new form and return it to the box provided. This allows us to provide the additional information required on the Gift Aid claim. Gift Aid is a vital source of income. All that is needed is that you pay tax. You simply declare that you give funds to the Church. We do the rest. Why not sign a form today? We get back an extra 25p for every £1 you give the Church in your weekly collection or by way of a donation. There is no need to cancel or renew it. We simply claim in the income we receive.


PARISH RECORDS
Our parish records are covered by the Data Protection Act and are for parish use only. We cannot give out phone numbers or addresses. Please help us to keep our records up to date using the cards provided.

READERS
Next weekend's readers are Margaret Munn at 5.30 pm and Tom Reid at 10.30 am.

ALTAR SERVERS
Next weekend's altar servers are Group 1 at 5.30 pm and Group 2 at 10.30 am.


CHILDREN’S LITURGY
Next week's Children's Liturgy helpers are Geraldine Butcher and Emma Paterson for the pre-fives, Andrena Hughes and Teresa Louden for Primaries 1, 2 and 3 and Jacqueline Waugh for Primary 4.

SUNDAY TEAS
Next Sunday's teas will be served by Fiona Brown's team.

OUR NEW PARISH PRIEST
On Friday 3 March, Bishop Nolan announced that Father Duncan McVicar, presently in Saint John Ogilvie's Church, Irvine, is to be Parish Priest of Saint Peter's from 8 September after Canon Matt retires.

SCOTTISH CATHOLIC INTERNATIONAL AID FUND (SCIAF)
There will be a collection for SCIAF next weekend.

LENT
Lent is a period of six weeks made as a journey to Easter. It is a time to fast, pray and give alms. Every one of us is able to make our own decisions about what we need to do to make our lives more acceptable to God. We can:
  - do without things we don't really need
  - take time to pray so that we can listen to what God asks of us
  - share what we have with others in more need through the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and other ways
  - attend Stations of the Cross on Friday mornings at 9.40 am

CONFESSION BEFORE EASTER
We will celebrate the Sacrament of Forgiveness together within Mass on Thursday 6 April at 10.00 am in
Saint John’s Church, Stevenston at 1.30 pm in Saint Mary's Church, Saltcoats and at 7.00 pm in Saint Peter's.

THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH
As part of our Lenten preparations, George Gallagher will give a series of talks entitled The Fathers Of The Church on the first three Tuesdays of Lent in
Saint John’s Church, Stevenston at 7.00 pm. They will last around an hour and a half with time for prayer and questions.
The titles are Who are the Fathers of the Church? on 7 March, The Teaching of the Fathers on 14 March and Why are the Fathers of the Church important? on 21 March.

PARISH ACCOUNTS
The parish accounts are available this weekend as are Gift Aid and Bankers Order forms. Please remember Gift Aid can only be used if you pay tax.

CHURCH MUSIC
We now have the assistance of John and Phil McKenzie leading the singing at the 10.30 Mass as well as Andrena Hughes - others would be more than welcome. George McGrattan and the parish choir cover the Vigil Mass. Saint Peter's School choir assists on the first Sunday of each month. Some former members of the Saint Peter's choir who are now at Saint Matthew's Academy, Saltcoats are getting together to cover Mass once a month. Would anyone like to join them? They hope to sing on Sunday 19 March at the 10.30 am Mass. Feel free to join them.

FORMING INTENTIONAL DISCIPLES
There is an invitation to take part in a study group based on the idea of Forming Intentional Disciples for six Tuesdays after Easter. We hope to start with an introductory evening on Tuesday 25 April in Saint Peter's Presbytery. The sessions begin at 7.00 pm with ten minutes of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and end at 9.00 pm after ten minutes of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Each session, with the prayer time, is based on pre-reading two chapters of Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell, published in 2012, and sharing our thoughts on what is said. The programme is in use in the Diocese of Plymouth to whom we are grateful for advice. The books are yours to keep and there is a discounted charge of £12 for them. To register interest. please email ParishOffice@SaintPeterInChains.net or phone 464063 during office hours before 1 April to allow us to gauge interest and purchase the books.

50/50 CLUB
Congratulations to all winners. The Early Bird Draw winner of £50 was 147 Morag Farro. The January winners of £25 each were 107 Kathleen McSkimming, 194 Anne Marie Dickie, 208 Marie Murray and 130 William Andrew. The February winners of £25 each were 182 George Poole, 18 Carole Gee, 62 Maria Mathieson and 217 Orlaigh Madine. Many thanks to our members for the continuing support for the 50/50 Club. New members are very welcome at any time of the year. For more information, please contact the Club Promoter, Mrs Myriame Sammons on 469006.

PALM SUNDAY NATIONAL YOUTH GATHERING
Young people aged 11 to 25 are invited to mark the beginning of Holy Week with other young Catholics from Scotland on Palm Sunday, 9 April, at Saint Mary's Monastery, Perth for an afternoon of bishops' teaching, Mass, and social time with a buffet dinner. The cost including transport by coach from Galloway diocese is £5. For more information or to book a place, please contact Father Stephen McGrattan on info@stephenmcgrattan.org.uk or 01563 521832.

EMBRACING CHANGE
Churches' Homeless Action North Ayrshire (CHANA) gratefully thanks you for your overwhelming generosity in the last few months. Many homeless and deprived children received a good Christmas gift and there are sufficient presents left over to cover birthdays. As there is now a stockpile of cleaning items, pyjamas, socks et cetera, there will be a break till after Easter when a fresh appeal will be made. Thank you for your support.

MARY'S MEALS BACKPACK APPEAL
Thank you for your generosity in the past. We are still collecting all items listed in the magazine but are particularly looking for the following items - coloured pencils, pencil cases, sharpeners, twelve inch rulers, dessert spoons and tennis balls or balls of a similar size. Please put any items in the blue box marked Mary's Meals in the Church porch.

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS - MARY'S MEALS FUNDRAISER
Ardrossan Winton Rovers are having a Saint Patrick's Night in the Supporters' Club at Winton Park on Saturday 18 March 2017 at 7.30 pm. It will feature a sing-song with George and Michael, a quiz, a bar and time for blethering. There is no admission charge but there will be an opportunity to donate to Mary's Meals.

DEANERY DAY RETREAT
Father Duncan McVicar will lead a Day Retreat at Saint John Ogilvie's Church, Irvine on Saturday 1 April. There will be Mass at 11.00 am, time for silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, et cetera with a finish at 3.00 pm. Light lunch will be provided. Donations are welcome. For catering purposes, please sign up on the sheet at the stall. For more information, please phone Agnes on 01294 833048.

BINGO NIGHT
A fundraising Bingo Night will be held on Friday 24 March at 7.00 pm to raise funds for Aidan Hughes of our parish to once again assist the pilgrimage to Lourdes as a volunteer with Youth for Lourdes. Tickets include a cup of tea or coffee and you may Bring Your Own Bottle. Tickets cost £1 and are available from the Parish Office on 464063 or Aidan Hughes. Any donation of raffle prizes will be gratefully appreciated. There is a similar event for the same good cause in Saint Mary's Parish Hall, Saltcoats on Friday 10 March 2017 at 7.00 pm with eyes down 7.30 pm. Tickets, which are on sale this wekend, can be obtained by phoning 466147 or paying at the door.

JUMBULANCE PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES
There will be a Jumbulance Pilgrimage to Lourdes at Easter 2017. A group will travel from our diocese to Lourdes on Thursday 27 April returning Saturday 6 May 2017. The travel is by medically-adapted coach and is particularly suited to those unable to fly for health reasons and/or those who wish to be in a smaller group. Places are available for sick pilgrims, helpers, nurses and carers. The group travels with a doctor, nurses and chaplain and can cater for almost all needs. Please phone Alison Neil on 07749 555955 or email her on amd.neil@outlook.com for more details.

HOMELESSNESS IN NORTH AYRSHIRE
The inter-church group who are concerned with homelessness around us would like to appeal for donations of household cleaning materials to help people get started when they are housed. They also need new socks, gloves and pyjamas for those who are housed in the Homeless Hostels. A full list of requirements is on the box at the back of the Church. Thank you.

OZANAM CENTRE, GLASGOW
The
Saint Vincent de Paul Society usually collects toiletries for the Ozanam Centre in Glasgow - for Homeless people - during Lent. There is a box in the porch.

VISITORS
Are you visiting us for Mass? Please know that you are very welcome. During the 10.30 am Mass outwith holidays, there is a Children’s Liturgy provided for preschool children, children in Primaries 1 to 3 and a Sacramental Programme for children in Primary 4. After the 10.30 am Mass, tea, coffee cakes and buns are available in the Parish Centre. At both of our weekend Masses, we have a second collection for Church maintenance.


ADVERTISER SUPPORT
Our advertisers would welcome your support. We are grateful for their continuing sponsorship. We are grateful for the support of Mr and Mrs Sohal, Nisa Stores, Glasgow Street for the weekly donation of tea, coffee and milk for the Sunday teas.

PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS - MISSION STATEMENT
The Catholic Church in Scotland is concerned with the lives, safety, wholeness and well-being of each individual person within God's purpose for everyone. It seeks to safeguard the welfare of people of all ages who are involved in whatever capacity
with the Church and its organisations. As a Church community, we accept that it is the responsibility of all of us, ordained, professed, paid and voluntary members, to work together to prevent the physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults.