Saturday
13 January
|
Feast of Saint Kentigern or Mungo |
Sunday
14 January
|
Second
Sunday of Year 2 |
Monday
15 January
|
Holy Mass at 10.00am for Jim Boyle and John Tyler |
Tuesday
16 January
|
Holy Mass at 10.00am for Harry and Myriame Sammons and Janette Keegans |
Wednesday
17 January
|
Memorial
of Saint Anthony of the Desert |
Thursday
18 January
|
Holy Mass at 10.00am for Paul Sheridan |
Friday
19 January
|
Holy Mass at 10.00am for Veronica Fisher |
Saturday
20 January
|
Our Lady's Day |
The
Holy Mass intention list is just over two weeks ahead. Please notify
anniversaries as early as you can. Thanks. |
Saturday
13 January
|
Vigil Mass at 4.30pm |
Holy Mass at 10.00am |
Sunday
14 January
|
Sunday Mass at 10.00am |
Sunday Mass at 11.30am |
Monday
15 January
|
Requiem Mass at 10.00am | Service at 10.00am |
Tuesday
16 January
|
Holy Mass at 10.00am | Service at 10.00am |
Wednesday
17 January
|
Holy Mass at 10.00am | |
Thursday
18 January
|
Service at 10.00am | Requiem Mass at 10.00am |
Friday
19 January
|
Requiem Mass at 10.00am | Service at 10.00am |
Saturday
20 January
|
Vigil Mass at 4.30pm |
Holy Mass at 10.00am |
PARISH CENTRE EVENTS |
Sunday
14 January
|
11.30am |
|
Monday
15 January
|
9.30
to 11.30am 5.30 to 6.30pm 6.30 to 8.00pm 7.30 pm |
Parents
and Toddlers |
Tuesday
16 January
|
9.00 to 11.00am |
Cardiac Rehabilitation |
Wednesday
17 January
|
||
Thursday
18 January
|
6.00
to 7.30pm 7.30 to 9.00pm |
Brownies |
Friday
19 January
|
9.30 to 11.30am | Parents and Toddlers |
CHILDREN’S
LITURGY
Next week's Children's Liturgy helpers are Emily
Tarbet for the pre-fives, Frances Gemmell and Gayle Paterson for Primaries
1, 2 and 3 and Emma Paterson for Primary 4.
SUNDAY TEAS
Tea
and coffee will be served after the 10.30am Mass next Sunday in the Parish
Centre by Sharon
McLaughlin's team. Can
you help? We are in need of some additional volunteers to form a team or would
be interested in forming a team to help with the Sunday morning teas and coffees.
If you are interested, please contact the Parish Office on 464063.
WHAT IS ORDINARY TIME?
The Sundays of the major seasons of the year are distinguished by their relationship
to the Solemnities of Christmas and Easter. The rhythm of these liturgical
seasons reflects the rhythm of life with its celebrations and its seasons
of growth. Ordinary Time, meaning ordered or numbered time, is celebrated
in two segments - from the Monday following the Baptism of Our Lord to Ash
Wednesday and from Pentecost Monday to the First Sunday of Advent. This makes
it the longest season of the Liturgical Year. The Church counts thirty-three
or thirty-four Sundays of Ordinary Time, 60% of the Church's calendar, inviting
us to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ - his life, miracles and teachings
- in the light of his Resurrection. The vestments for Ordinary Time are usually
green, the colour of hope and growth. The season of Ordinary Time helps us
to meditate on the mighty works of God through Jesus Christ. It is a time
to grow in our faith in response to God's invitation to follow Jesus to the
cross. We have a challenge to make our ordinary days extraordinary!
POPE FRANCIS' INTENTION FOR JANUARY 2018
Pope Francis's intention for January
2018 is for Religious Minorities in Asia - that Christians and other religious
minorities in Asian countries may be able to practise their faith in full
freedom.
PRAYER FOR THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR
My God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end nor do I really know myself and
the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am
actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact
please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that
I will never do anything apart from that desire and I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore,
I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of
death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave
me to face my perils alone. Amen. Thomas
Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
UPDATE ON THE CHURCH MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS
We have a few damp parts particularly on the shore side windows. They have
been measured for moisture twice and are definitely drying out. The repairs
measures seem to have worked fine. Soon, we will take away the damaged plaster
and repaint and also replace the bricks in the choir loft and repaint. Your
weekly contributions to the Maintenance Fund are making this work possible.
IMPROVING
EVERY TINY THING BY ONE PERCENT
No
British cyclist had ever won the Tour de France but as the new General Manager
and Performance Director for Team Sky, Great Britain's professional cycling
team, David Brailsford was asked to change that. His approach was simple.
Brailsford believed in a concept that he referred to as the 'aggregation of
marginal gains'.He explained it as 'the one percent margin for improvement
in everything you do'.His belief was that if you improved every area related
to cycling by just one percent, then those small gains would add up to remarkable
improvement. They started by optimising the things you might expect - the
nutrition of riders, their weekly training program, the ergonomics of the
bike seat and the weight of the tyres - but Brailsford and his team didn't
stop there. They searched for one percent improvements in tiny areas that
were overlooked by almost everyone else - discovering the pillow that offered
the best sleep and taking it with them to hotels, testing for the most effective
type of massage gel, and teaching riders the best way to wash their hands
to avoid infection. They searched for one percent improvements everywhere.
Brailsford believed that if they could successfully execute this strategy
then Team Sky would be in a position to win the Tour de France in five years
time. He was wrong. They won it in three years. Imagine the difference in
our spiritual lives of faith - prayer, Holy Mass, Confession, fasting - if
we applied the one percent idea!
BAPTISM - THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH
Did you know that the Sacrament of Baptism is often called The Door of the
Church because it is the first of the seven sacraments not only in time, but
in priority, since the reception of the other sacraments depends on it. Once
baptised, a person becomes a member of the Church. Christ Himself ordered
His disciples to preach the Gospel to all nations and to baptize those who
accept the message of the Gospel. In His encounter with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21),
Christ made it clear that baptism was necessary for salvation - "Amen,
amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." For Catholics, the sacrament
is not a mere formality - it is the very mark of a Christian because it brings
us into new life in Christ. Baptism has six primary effects which are all
supernatural graces - The removal of the guilt of both Original Sin, the sin
imparted to all mankind by the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden,
and personal sin, the sins that we have committed ourselves, the remission
of all punishment that we owe because of sin, the infusion of grace in the
form of sanctifying grace, the life of God within us, the seven gifts of the
Holy Spirit and the three theological virtues - becoming a part of Christ,
becoming a part of the Church which is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth,
enabling participation in the sacraments, the priesthood of all believers
and the growth in grace.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER
The
park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches
of an old willow tree.
I was disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent
on dragging me down
And
if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached
me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement"Look
what I found!"
In his hand was a flower and what a pitiful sight with its petals all worn
- not enough rain or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile
and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to
his nose and declared with surprise
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it
- here, it's for you."
The weed before me was dying or dead - not vibrant of colours, orange, yellow
or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave so I reached for the flower
and replied"Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without
reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could
not see - he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking
the very best one.
"You're welcome" he smiled, and then ran off to play unaware of
the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath
an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been
blessed with true sight.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not
with the world - the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see beauty,
and appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance
of a beautiful rose
And smiled as that young boy, another weed in his hand, was about to change
the life of an unsuspecting old man.
A LITTLE BIT OF HUMOUR
Did
you hear about the Nursery teacher who was helping one of the children put
on his wellie boots? He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her
pulling and him pushing, the little wellies still didn't want to go on. By
the time they got the second wellie on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost
cried when the little boy said"Miss, they're on the wrong feet."
She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the wellies
off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together
they worked to get the wellies back on, this time on the right feet. He then
announced"Miss, these aren't my wellies." She bit her tongue rather
than get right in his face and scream "Why didn't you say so?" like
she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting
wellies off his little feet. No sooner had they gotten the wellies off when
he said, "They're my brother's wellies - my mum made me wear them. Now
she didn't know if she should laugh or cry but she mustered up what grace
and courage she had left to wrestle the wellies on his feet again. Helping
him into his coat, she asked"Now, where are your gloves?" He said
"I stuffed them in the toes of my wellies". She will be eligible
for parole in three years!
THANKS
Churches Homeless Action North Ayrshire would like to express our sincere
thanks to those who participated in the appeal for gifts for those in need
over Christmas. The response, as usual, was heartwarming. Thank you. Danny
Murray for CHANA
50/50 CLUB WINNER'S LIST
We thank our members for their continued support during 2017 and remind them
that 2018 dues of £15 are due now. We will have the usual Early Bird
Draw for those who renew in January. Sign-up Sunday dates are 7 and 14 January
in Parish Centre after the Vigil and Sunday morning Masses when we will collect
from all members. We hope to save on the postage and save sending reminders
in the post. New members are very welcome and we wish you good luck in January
draw. Myriame Sammons, Promoter
of the 50/50 Club.
SAINT PETER'S BURNS SUPPER
The 2018 Burns
Supper will take place in the Parish Centre on Saturday 3 February at
7.00 pm. Patrons are asked to be seated by 6.50 pm for a prompt start. The
Immortal Memory will be delivered by Drew Cochrane, for forty years the Editor
of the Largs and Millport Weekly News. Former parishioner, Martin Cosgrove,
will propose the Toast to the Lassies and our parishioner, Julie Coldwell,
will reply. Other participants are Father
Duncan, Bill Andrew, Aidan and Bethany McGrath, George McGrattan
and Ciaran Sinclair. Tickets cost £15 and can be booked in advance though
the Parish Office on 01294 464063. Patrons can request group seating arrangements
to be with friends. The meal will be prepared and served by Michael and Fiona
Brown, family and friends. Vegetarian meals are available with notice as an
alternative to the traditional Burns
Supper main course. There are more details on the Church website. Your
support is appreciated.
VISITORS
Are you visiting us for Holy Mass? Please know that you are very welcome.
During the 10.30 am Holy 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 Holy Mass, tea, coffee
cakes and buns are available in the Parish Centre. At both of our weekend
Holy 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.