Bulletin 6 June 2021

SERVICES AND GATHERINGS
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, public Church services and gatherings are limited till further notice. Father Duncan will live-stream Holy Mass every day and assures you of his prayers for you and your family.

A READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK (Mark 14:12-16,22-26)
On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to Jesus 'Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them "Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him and say to the owner of the house which he enters "The Master says 'Where is my dining room in which I can eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there." The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them and prepared the Passover and as they were eating he took some bread and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. "Take it" he said "this is my body." Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, and all drank from it, and he said to them "This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many. I tell you solemnly, I shall not drink any more wine until the day I drink the new wine in the kingdom of God." After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives.

THE LORD'S DAY AT HOME
If you are housebound or self-isolating at this time, please use these prayers to unite yourself with the worship of the Universal Church, and your own parish, this Sunday. If alone, read or say these prayers quietly to yourself. If with another, or in a family, someone should read the Gospel and others respond. It might be suitable to find a special, quiet place at home for your Sunday prayers.

SAINT PETER'S AND SAINT BRIDE'S CHURCH SERVICES

	Saint Peter's All services are live-streamed and public by booking unless otherwise stated.	Saint Bride's Church, West Kilbride All services are public by booking unless otherwise stated.
Saturday 5 June Solemnity of the Body and of Christ	Vigil Mass at 5.30pm for Alison Dunn at her anniversary and Betty Dunn who died recently
Sunday 6 June Solemnity of the Body and of Christ	Holy Mass at 10.30am for our parishes	Holy Mass at 12.15pm
Monday 7 June	Holy Mass at 10.00am for the special intentions of Kathleen Dean and Celia Bailey and Ignatius McAleavy at his anniversary
Tuesday 8 June	Requiem Mass 10.00am for Annie Watt Private	Holy Mass at 10.00am
Wednesday 9 June Feast of Saint Columba	Holy Mass 10.00am for Patricia Woodcock who died recently and Eileen McNulty at her anniversary
Thursday 10 June Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and companions	Holy Mass at 10.00am for Mary Bridget, John Lawrence and Julianna Collins Private
Friday 11 June Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus	Holy Mass at 10.00am for Annie Watt and Bobby Milligan who both died recently	Holy Mass at 12 noon
Saturday 12 June Eleventh Sunday of the Year	Vigil Mass at 5.30pm for Tom Atkins and Sheelagh Kelly at their anniversaries and Michelle Bainbridge who died recently
		*Father Duncan* is assisted by the retired priest, Father Gerry Hamill.

SAINT MARY'S AND SAINT JOHN'S CHURCH SERVICES

	Saint Mary's Church, Saltcoats All services are live-streamed and public by booking unless otherwise stated.	Saint John’s Church, Stevenston All services are live-streamed and public by booking unless otherwise stated.
Saturday 5 June Solemnity of the Body and of Christ	Vigil Mass at 4.30pm
Sunday 6 June Solemnity of the Body and of Christ	Holy Mass at 10.00am	Holy Mass at 11.30am
Monday 7 June
Tuesday 8 June	Holy Mass at 10.00am Online Mass at 1.30pm
Wednesday 9 June Feast of Saint Columba	Requiem Mass at 10.00am for Jim Feeney
Thursday 10 June Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and companions	Requiem Mass at 10.00am for Thomas Harkins
Friday 11 June Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus		Holy Mass at 10.00am
Saturday 12 June Eleventh Sunday of the Year	First Eucharist Masses Vigil Mass at 4.30pm
	*Canon Martin Poland is assisted by Father Benjamin Mkeri and Canon Matt McManus who is retired.*

PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers:
Jim Boyle, Bill Holden, Valerie Bickers and Jean Brawley;
Annie Watt, Bobby Milligan, Michelle Bainbridge, Betty Dunn, Jim Feeney, Patricia Woodcock née Leonard who died recently;
James Conaghan 1999, Mary Walsh 1954, May Boyle 2013, Father Ninian Currie OFM 2009, Alison Dunn 1994, Martha Johnston 2013, Margaret O'Neill 2009, Patrick Clark 2002, Michael Collins 2009, Charles Coulter 2007, Stephen McIntosh 2015, Julia Paterson 2017, George West 1997, Rose McKenzie, Sheena Walker 2017, Martin Francis Brown 1998, Elizabeth Dailly, Hilda Reid, John Spencer 2002, Alice Ferrie 2010, John Maher 2002, Helen Taylor 1998, Tom Atkins 2010, Agnes Blake 2008, John Higgins 1973, Sheelagh Kelly 2010 and Vincent McBride 2013 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 Father Duncan, the parish office or contact WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterinChains.net. If members of your family or friends are in need of our prayers, please tell Father Duncan or the parish office.

FEED YOUR SOUL - RENEWING OUR PARISH COMMUNITIES
The essence of the Christian faith is mercy, made visible in Jesus of Nazareth. The practice of mercy is catechesis in action. Saint Augustine affirms that catechesis becomes a work of mercy in that it satisfies 'with the word of God the intelligence of those who hunger for it'. The Church must enter into dialogue with the world in which it lives. It has something to say, a message to give, a communication to make. Dialogue is a free and gratuitous initiative, takes its cues from love and grows in a gradual way. At the present time this dialogue, with society, cultures and sciences, with every other believer, is particularly required as a valuable contribution to peace. Catechesis of initiation into Christian life is a journey, offered in the Church community, which leads the believer to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ through the word of God, liturgical action, and charity, integrating all the dimensions of the person so that they may grow in the mindset of faith and be a witness of new life in the world.

REQUIEM MASS FOR ANNIE WATT
Please pray for the Repose of the Soul of Annie Watt who died on Friday 21 May 2021 aged 84 years. Her Requiem Mass, which will be live-streamed on Tuesday 8 June at 10.00am, will be followed by her cremation at Holmsford Bridge Crematorium, Dreghorn at 11.30am. May she rest in peace and rise in glory!

PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this Holy Sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my soul so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever. Amen.

WILL MASS ATTENDANCE RECOVER POST PANDEMIC?
Whether Catholics will return to Mass and the sacraments in the same numbers post-pandemic is a question Catholic sociologists are asking, When Churches were closed, people got out of the social ritual practice of going to Mass on Sunday. Especially for those on the fence - perhaps about a number of other issues that have nothing to do with the pandemic - that practice might not resume. In the sociology of conversion, belief follows behaviour. If we get out of the behaviour, the belief fades as well. The sense of community is key to develop a sense of belonging in the Church. Now that the pandemic appears to be waning, it's critical for our parishes to hit the ground running at full speed. What we need to do now more than ever is ramp up our hospitality and invite people to hang out with us at the parish. We can no longer wait for people. We need to go out and find them. The greatest community is one of faith. When it comes to Mass attendance, we need to ask where people were in terms of their understanding of the sacraments before the pandemic. Do they have an understanding of how the sacraments nourish the faith and, therefore, are part of the routine of nurturing that faith? If many parishioners don't understand the Eucharist, why would they come back? Our own faith will become more personal and important to us when we meet those living it passionately and authentically. We are meant for community, and the Church has a wonderful opportunity here to invite people in and not just wonder why they're not coming back.

THE REAL PRESENCE OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
The Feast of Corpus Christi celebrates the gift of what is called the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament, Holy Communion, the Mass and the Lord's Supper. The Catholic Church teaches the doctrine of transubstantiation, namely, that in the Eucharist, the host and the wine really become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Have you ever met anyone who finds this a bit hard to take? If so, you shouldn't be surprised. When Jesus spoke about eating his flesh and drinking his blood in John 6, the response was less than enthusiastic. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (V52). "This is a hard saying who can listen to it?" (V60). In fact so many of his disciples abandoned him that Jesus asked the twelve if they also planned to quit. Note that Jesus did not run after the deserters saying "Come back! - I was just speaking metaphorically!" Saint Thomas Aquinas offered an explanation that became classic. In all change that we normally observe, he teaches, appearances change, but deep down, the essence of a thing stays the same. An example is if, in a fit of mid-life crisis, I traded my mini-van for a Ferrari, abandoned my wife and kids to be a tanned beach addict, bleached and spiked my hair, buffed up at the gym and made a trip to the plastic surgeon, I'd look a lot different - but for all my trouble, deep down I'd still substantially be the same confused, middle-aged person as when I started. Saint Thomas said the Eucharist is the one change we encounter that is exactly the opposite. The appearances of bread and wine stay the same but the very essence of these realities, which can't be viewed by a microscope, is totally transformed. What starts as bread and wine becomes Christ's body and blood. A handy word was coined to describe this unique change. Transformation of the 'sub-stance', what 'stands-under' the surface, came to be called 'transubstantiation'. What makes this happen? It is the Spirit and the Word. After praying for the Holy Spirit to come (epiklesis), the priest, who stands in the place of Christ, repeats the words of the Jesus Himself "This is my Body, This is my Blood." But why did Jesus arrange for this transformation of bread and wine? Because he intended another kind of transformation. The bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ which are, in turn, meant to transform us. Have you ever heard the phrase 'you are what you eat'? The Lord desires us to be transformed from a motley crew of imperfect individuals into the Body of Christ, come to full stature.

BOOKLET ON THE MEANING OF THE EUCHARIST
God works through all these messy human realities and wants to encounter us at every Mass. The Lord wants to deeply encounter everyone in the Mass and especially in the Eucharist. However, it can be hard for us to recognise his presence. By learning about the deeper meaning behind what Catholics do at Mass, we lift the veil between the human and divine. Dr Edward Sri is a professor at the Augustine Institute and a founding leader of Focus, a campus outreach that pursues college students with intentionality and love by inviting them into a growing relationship with Jesus and the Catholic faith, inspiring and equipping them for a lifetime of Christ-centered evangelisation, discipleship and friendships in which they lead others to do the same. In this excerpt from Meaning of the Eucharist, he discusses what the Mass is and the three ways that every Catholic should know the Eucharist the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, the real presence of Jesus and Holy Communion with Our Lord.

TWO QUIZZES
You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read and you'll get the point.
   1 Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
   2 Name the last five World Cup football trophy winners.
   3 Name the last five winners of the Miss United Kingdom contest.
   4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
   5 Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
   6 Name the last decade's worth of Brit Award winners.
How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields but the applause dies, awards tarnish, achievements are forgotten and accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one.
   1 List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
   2 Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
   3 Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
   4 Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
   5 Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Was that easier? The lesson is that the people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are the ones that care. We care because we are asked to be like Christ for others. Consider passing this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.

JUST FOR A LAUGH ...
A priest was completing a sermon on moderation and abstinence. With great expression he said "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." And then finally, he said "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." Then he sat down at the end of his sermon. The song leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a smile "For our offertory hymn, let us sing hymn number 365 - Shall We Gather at the River.

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.

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.