Bulletin 25 July 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.

WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY
Pope Francis has designated this Sunday as a day of prayer for our grandparents and the elderly. The Pope's special message and prayer are now available on our websites. Paper copies are also available in Church.

I thank you, Lord, for the comfort of your presence even in times of loneliness. You are my hope and my confidence. You have been my rock and my fortress since my youth! I thank you for having given me a family and for having blessed me with a long life. I thank you for moments of joy and difficulty, for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me. I thank you for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which you call me. Increase, O Lord, my faith, make me a channel of your peace, teach me to embrace those who suffer more than me, to never stop dreaming and to tell of your wonders to new generations. Protect and guide Pope Francis and the Church that the light of the Gospel might reach the ends of the earth. Send your Spirit, O Lord, to renew the world that the storm of the pandemic might be calmed, the poor consoled and wars ended. Sustain me in weakness and help me to live life to the full in each moment that you give me in the certainty that you are with me every day, even until the end of the age.

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 24 July Seventeenth Sunday of the Year	Vigil Mass at 5.30pm for John Welsh at his anniversary, John and Mary Hutson at their anniversaries and Eddie Cunningham at his anniversary
Sunday 25 July Seventeenth Sunday of the Year	Holy Mass at 10.30am for our parishes	Holy Mass at 12.15pm
Monday 26 July Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne	Holy Mass at 10.00am for Sarah Wright and Pamela Sandys at her anniversary Reception of John Boyle at 6.30pm
Tuesday 27 July	Requiem Mass at 10.00am for John Boyle Private	Holy Mass at 10.00am
Wednesday 28 July	Votive Mass of Saint Joseph at 10.00am for Jean McLellan who died recently
Thursday 29 July Memorial of Saint Martha	Holy Mass at 10.00am for Emilia Sallie Private
Friday 30 July	Holy Mass at 10.00am for Annie Watt who died recently and Benny McGrath	Holy Mass at 12 noon
Saturday 31 July Eighteenth Sunday of the Year	Vigil Mass at 5.30pm for all children preparing for First Eucharist and and Confirmation and John Kean 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 17 July Sixteenth Sunday of the Year	Vigil Mass at 4.30pm
Sunday 18 July Sixteenth Sunday of the Year	Holy Mass at 10.00am	Holy Mass at 11.30am
Monday 19 July
Tuesday 20 July	Holy Mass at 10.00am
Wednesday 21 July		Holy Mass at 10.00am
Thursday 22 July Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene	Holy Mass at 10.00am
Friday 23 July Feast of Saint Bridget of Sweden		Holy Mass at 10.00am
Saturday 31 July Eighteenth Sunday of the Year	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, Pat Breen, Mary Carrick, Jayne Adams and Joann McLaughlin;
John Boyle, Jean McLellan, Annie Watt, John Kean and Catherine McIntosh who died recently;
Isabella Aldridge 2010, Eddie Cunningham 1992, Anne Higgins 2020, May Steele 2014, Elizabeth Fitzsimmons 1999, Angus McMaster 2019, Elizabeth Murray 2005, Annie Walsh 1969, Elizabeth Byers 2009, Tommy Burns 1982, Eileen Mathieson 2003, John McQuaid 2004, Jordan Walsh 1998, Des Blanch 2017, Annie Cavani 2012, Alice Gibbons 1997, Desmond McGarvey, Caroline Dunlop 2013, William Johnston 1999, Michael Marshall 2011 and David Shaw 2019 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.

SAINT PETER'S NOTICES

BOOKING FOR MASS
To book for Mass, please phone the Parish Office on 01294 464063 on Mondays to Friday between 9.00 and 11.30am.

REQUIEM MASS FOR JOHN BOYLE
Please pray for the Repose of the Soul of John Boyle who died on 4 July 2021 aged 50 years. John will be received into Church on Monday 26 July at 6.30pm and his Requiem Mass, which will be live-streamed on Tuesday 27 July at 10.00am, will be followed by his interment at Ardrossan Cemetery. May he rest in peace and rise in glory!

PARISH STEWARDSHIP
The Offertory Collection last weekend amounted to £494.56 - many thanks.

50/50 CLUB WINNERS
Congratulations to the 50/50 Club winners for May, June and July who each receive £25. The May winners were D Brown 92, J Gibson 220, M Reilly 90 and M McCann 69. June's winners were M Cairns 180, C Boyle 85, M Hilferty 33 and M Griffin 71 and July's were W .Timpany 143, No. Gee 18, M Gribben 268, M Taylor 94. We also gave our annual cheque to the parish for £2000 - many thanks for your continued support through a difficult time during Covid. A few members still have to send in their membership renewal of £15 so please bring it up to date for 2021, since next month's Bonus Draw for £100 plus four at £25 is now due to go in the post to our winners. You do not want to miss it, if you are not in it. New members are welcome at any time. Please contact the Promoter, Myriame Sammons or the Parish Office. Good Luck to our members in the August draw.

SAINT BRIDE'S NOTICES

BOOKING FOR MASS
To book for Mass, please phone 07843 602745 or 01294 822320 between 7.00 and 9.00pm.

PARISH STEWARDSHIP
The Offertory Collection last weekend amounted to £128.00 - many thanks.

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
We welcome to the Family of God Harry Iain Diamond who will be baptised on Saturday. Congratulations to his parents and Godparents.

HOSPITAL CHAPLAINCIES
Due to family commitments, Deacon Bill Corbett has stepped down as hospital chaplain. He is to be thanked for his many years of compassionate service to the in hospital. As of 1 August, Father Stephen McGrattan is appointed hospital chaplain for Crosshouse Hospital. He will be assisted by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kilmarnock. Deacon Robert Mackie is appointed chaplain for Ayr hospital.

PILGRIMAGE TO SAINT NINIAN AT WHITHORN
The pilgrimage to Whithorn will take place this year on Sunday 29 August. While Mass will be celebrated on the shore, there will be no Mass in the Church in Whithorn. So that we can estimate if we should hire a coach for the parish, please let me know if anyone would like to go.

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.

FEED YOUR SOUL - RENEWING OUR PARISH COMMUNITIES
It is necessary to teach the believer to pray with Jesus Christ and like him, initiating the believer into blessing and adoration, petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise. There are several well-established means - the prayerful reading of sacred scripture, in particular through the liturgy of the hours and lectio divina, the Jesus Prayer, the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary through practices of the Rosary, processions et cetera. The faith is professed, celebrated, expressed and lived above all in community. We should cultivate a spirituality of communion. This makes one able to see the light of the Trinity reflected in the face of one's sister or brother as well, feeling through the profound unity of the Body of Christ that they are part of oneself; sharing their joys and sorrows in order to perceive their desires; taking care of their needs; offering them a true and profound friendship. Looking above all at what is positive in them in order to cherish them as a gift from God helps one to reject the selfish temptations that lead to competition, careerism, distrust and jealousy.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - RENEWING OUR PARISH COMMUNITIES
The liturgy is one of the essential and indispensable sources of the Church's catechesis. The liturgy is the 'privileged place for catechising the People of God.' This is not to be understood in the sense that the liturgy should lose its celebratory character and be turned into catechesis - but catechesis is set in motion by a first effective encounter between the one being catechised and the community that celebrates the mystery, which is to say the catechesis reaches its fulfilment when the one being catechised takes part in the liturgical life of the community. Catechesis cannot be thought of merely as preparation for the sacraments but must be understood in relation to liturgical experience.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead, the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied "Things aren't always what they seem." The next night, the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him" she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything and you let the cow die." "Things aren't always what they seem" the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem." Sometimes, that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way it seems they should.

JUST FOR A LAUGH ...
• A little boy was listening to a long and excessively boring sermon in Church. Suddenly the red sanctuary lamp caught his eye. Tugging his father's sleeve, he said "Daddy, when the light turns green can we go?"
• Jesus was walking along one day, when he came upon a group of people surrounding a woman of ill repute. It was obvious that the crowd was preparing to stone her so Jesus made His now-famous statement "Let the person who has no sin cast the first stone." The crowd was shamed and one by one began to turn away. All of a sudden, a lovely little woman made her way through the crowd. Finally, getting to the front, she tossed a pebble towards the woman. Jesus looks over and said "I really hate it when you do that, Mum."

STANDING ORDERS
Please consider taking out a Standing Order. It would be of great benefit to our parishes. Forms are available from the parish office, Ardrossan@GallowayDiocese.org.uk and 01294 464063.

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.