Contents
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Notices for the week commencing Sunday, 30 September 2012
Parish Mission Statement: Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and centred on the gospel of Jesus Christ, we seek to build community by loving God and our neighbour.
Holy Father's General Intention: That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.
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Prayer for Bishop Philip Heavenly Father, you sent Jesus to shepherd your people and the Holy
Spirit to make your people one. |
Parish Mission Statement: Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and centred on the gospel of Jesus Christ, we seek to build community by loving God and our neighbour.
Holy Father's General Intention: That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.
We welcome Fr Delaney
and thank him for celebrating Vigil Mass with us today
Please pray for those whose anniversaries occur this week: Agnes Yat
Chan Tung, John Myszko, Mary Watts, Witold Drewelus, Margaret Storey, Robert
Garlick, Michael Curtin and Margaret Morpeth.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
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Please pray for those parishioners who are in hospital - Nancy Watters,
Alison Vincent and Tim Brierley - and for those who are ill or housebound at
this time - Mrs Cheung, Kitty Lamond, Sylvia Hollings, Nora Kinsella, Amelia
Batten, Harry Gower, Michael Cannell, Noreen Curtain, Pam Coles, Rose Boyle,
Lucy Moruzzi, Norah Kavanagh, Charles Klimas, Nora Cronin, Peter Smethurst,
Dusan Nevrala, Tony Bennett, Sr Kathy McCarty, Mike Ablett, Vittorio Monaco
and Margaret Grech.
* Please tell Father if you know of a parishioner who has been admitted to hospital.
* Please contact the parish office if you wish to request a home visit from
Fr Kevin.
This week, please keep the following parishioners in your prayers - John Ariola, Claire Anthony, Bernice Baker, Jose Buenafe and Kahlen Byron.
Churches Together in Crowthorne - there will be an Ecumenical Service at Pinehurst Residential Home, Duke's Ride, at 6.00pm this evening (Sunday). The service will be led by St Sebastian's.
Women's World Day of Prayer Autumn Service - will be held at St John's church hall, Crowthorne on Tuesday 2 October at 8.00pm. The speaker is Hugh Gibbons of CAFOD. All are welcome.
CAFOD Fast Day 5 October - Friday is Harvest Fast Day and the theme
focuses on the fact that almost a billion people (and rising) go hungry while
the world produces enough food to feed everyone. Fast Day launches a new campaign,
"A Place at the Table", in which we can offer, by making a regular
donation, a "place at the table" to a child who can be remembered
with a table grace each mealtime. The response to the Government's 'matching
funds' offer this spring was fantastic, enabling CAFOD to expand its work providing
clean water to communities across the world; CAFOD greatly appreciated the generosity
shown by the parish. Cheques to CAFOD please, with Gift Aid details on the CAFOD
envelopes.
Thank you.
RCIA course in Bracknell - sessions are held every Wednesday evening at 7.30pm in the parish room of St. Joseph's Church, Bracknell. All who are interested in learning more about what Catholics believe will be welcomed. Please contact Dominica (tel.01344 422902 or dominica.roberts@gmail.com) or just turn up. This does not commit you to anything.
Donkey Derby Thank You Party
Saturday 13 October at 7.00pm in the Immaculate Conception hall
The Donkey Derby Committee would like to invite all parishioners, family and
friends, who volunteered and helped to make the 2012 Donkey Derby such a success.
We would like to invite anyone who made donations, or who made cakes, or who
helped in any way towards the event, even if they were not there on the day.
We will be providing a cold buffet, wine, beer and soft drinks (hot and cold)
to make the evening a grand affair.
Looking ahead to 2013, committee members will be available during the evening
to talk to anyone who would like to help with the preparatory activities before
the actual day. We have many things to sort out in the months before the Donkey
Derby and any help, no matter how little, would be appreciated. To clarify what
has to be done, a list will be displayed showing the things that parishioners
may wish to get involved in.
For catering purposes, could you please let the office know if you will be attending
the party, by Friday 5 October please. Thank you.
Sunday tea/coffee at Immaculate Conception Church - one new volunteer has come forward to join the rota but we still need more people to enable weekly refreshments to be served in Sandhurst. Your turn would only occur every 6 to 8 weeks. Names to the parish office please.
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Please make a note in your diary - our Sandhurst music group "Heavens
Above" invites you to a feast of popular, classical and Christmas music
on Saturday 8 December at the Immaculate Conception Church at 7.30pm. Tickets
£5 - to include wine and mince pies. These will be on sale soon.
Admission to St. Augustine's School September 2013- children born between
1st September 2008 and 31st August 2009 are due to start school in September
2013 and will need to apply for a place before 15th January 2013. Those children
registered with us have received an admissions pack, including application forms.
If you have not registered your child, please contact the school office on 01276
709099 and we will forward a pack to you. Parents should complete an online
application with their local authority, and also the St. Augustine's application
form which should be returned to their parish priest, along with a copy of their
child's baptismal certificate. Please do this in good time as the parish priest
has to return the completed applications to the school by 15th January 2013
at the latest.
Also, due to the retirement of the Head teacher, the Governors are seeking a replacement for September 2013. Applicants must be practising Catholics, but not necessarily currently working in a Catholic school. Closing date is 12noon 15 October 2012. For further information please visit the website http://www.staugustine.surrey.sch.uk/p_Head_recruitment.ikml or contact the school 01276 709099.
Our new Bishop:
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He was ordained to the sacred priesthood in August 1984 and served as an Assistant Priest at St. Anthony's, Woodhouse Park (1985-8), before becoming assistant chaplain at Fisher House to the University of Cambridge (1988-91). He was appointed Chaplain to Arrow Park Hospital, Wirral (1991-94) before doing further studies at Boston College, Ma. For twelve years, he was on the formation staff of St. Mary's College, Oscott, the major seminary in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, where he was the College's Dean of Studies and Professor of Fundamental Theology. He returned to Boston College as a post-doctoral research fellow of the Lonergan Institute in 2007, before being appointed Parish Priest of Our Lady and St. Christopher's, Romiley, near Stockport in 2008. In 2010 he was appointed Vicar General of the Diocese of Shrewsbury and in 2011 a Prelate of Honour to his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and in 2012 a Canon of Shrewsbury Cathedral. Mgr. Egan is frequently asked to speak at theological symposia and at catechetical gatherings and he has regularly contributed to religious journals and magazines. He has written about the thought of Newman and Lonergan and recently published Philosophy and Catholic Theology: A Primer (Collegeville, 2009). Gratefully building on the pastoral work of Bishop Crispian and fellow clergy he humbly asks for your prayers as he receives this call received from the Holy Father to serve as Bishop. |
DIARY DATES
Finance Committee Meeting - Tuesday 2 October 7.30pm IC
Bingo - Thursday 4 October 8.00pm IC
PPC Meeting - Tuesday 9 October 7.30pm IC
FHC children's session - Saturday 13 October 9.3am IC
Donkey Derby Thank You Evening - Saturday 13 October IC 7.30pm
Year of Faith Service - Sunday 14 October IC 6.30pm
Faith Discussion Group - Wednesday 17 October 7.45pm IC
"Heavens Above" concert - Saturday 8 December 7.30pm IC
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UK Registered Charity No.1 088590 The Chidamoyo Trust is a family-run charity based in Crowthorne, Berkshire. It supports the work . of the Chidamoyo Christian Hospital in remote rural northern Zimbabwe. It came into existence in 2001 after a family member spent some time working at the hospital as a volunteer doctor. The hospital has 85 beds and serves an area of 600 square km treating more than 600 patients a day. It is 103km from tarred road and employs 68 people. It also runs clinics in even more remote areas. The majority of the trustees belong to the Parish of Crowthorne and Sandhurst. The Chidamoyo trust supports various ongoing programmes including a School Sponsorship Programme and General Hospital Support which funds needs determined by the Matron, a trustee of the charity. Most of the money we raise is used for special projects. The Trust has funded the building of an AIDS Education Centre, the refurbishment of the medical laboratory and buying an industrial washing machine. In 2010 we raised money to extend and refurbish the children's ward. This year we are funding the building of a grain silo- important because people use a barter system to pay for treatment and the grain brought is either sold or used to feed patients. Life in rural Zimbabwe is difficult. Money is in short supply but The Chidamoyo Christian Hospital continues to be a beacon of light for the people in the area. They flock to the Mission Hospital because they trust that there they will be treated with dignity and respect. For further information go to our website, Chidamoyo Online at www.chidamo~o.org or contact us at chidamo~o@btinternet.com or telephone 01344761980 |
Fr Kevin's blogs of his visits to Myamer and New Zealand
First
trip Visit
in 2011
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136. What does the Church mean when she confesses: "I believe in the Holy Spirit? To believe in the Holy Spirit is to profess faith in the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity who proceeds from the Father and the Son and "is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son". The Spirit is "sent into our hearts" (Galations: 4:6) so that we might receive new life as sons of God. (The Compendium can be purchased from the Catholic Truth Society) |
GIFT-AID Envelopes - are you confused?
Some envelopes are causing confusion because they have spaces for name, address
and signature to be filled in. It you have signed a Gift aid Declaration you
do not need to fill in this information. All you need is to put your parish
Gift Aid number on the envelope..., and of course ensure the name of the charity
is on it.. If you address & sign the envelope it is for you to send it direct
to the charity, so it is no good putting it in a church collection plate or
box.
If you have not signed a Parish Gift Aid Declaration why not do so now. There
are some forms in a box at the back of the church. Each form has a separate
Parish number on it, which you can start using straightway on any envelope.
Take a note of the number & leave the filled-in form sealed in the envelope
attached to it.
The Chidamoyo Trust has now been registered as a charity so tax-rebate can be
obtained for donations just by using your parish Gift Aid number. Alternatively,
some people may wish to Gift Aid the Trust directly by Direct Debit or Standing
Order. Gill Withers has left a separate box of Gift Aid Declaration forms at
the back of the church for this purpose. Either way lets get the Trust off to
a great start by maximizing the tax rebate it gets from the donations we make.
If you have any queries on Gift Aid please contact me (tel number from the Parish
Office). Peter Smethurst."
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From the Newsletter
People often ask about the history and the priests of the parish, so here
is a summary (including the Curates):
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Holy Ghost Church - before 1908 Crowthorne was served from Wokingham.
In 1908 a site for the church was purchased by Canon Scholes and a temporary
church was built which was blessed by Bishop Timothy Cotter on 14 November
1909. The first resident priest was appointed in September 1945. The old
church was pulled down in May 1961 to make way for the present church. Immaculate Conception Church - the present plot was purchased
by Father Daniel Boyle in May 1957 and the church opened on Christmas
Eve 1959. Blessed by Archbishop John Henry King later in the New Year.
Parish served from Crowthorne until 1981 when Sandhurst became a separate
parish. Solemn Dedication of Church 8 December 1985 by Bishop Anthony
Emery. The two parishes were merged back into the one parish
of Crowthorne and Sandhurst |
Q. What is meant by fundamentalism? Is it good or is it dangerous?
A. Basically it means standing up for certain fundamental beliefs that
one regards as non-negotiable. That is grand but in practice fundamentalists
have got a bad name as they tend to become self-righteous, narrow-minded, stubborn
and bigoted. Fundamentalists in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish religions
focus excessively on certain texts and lose sight of the broader picture of
humanity. It is a sad fact that some societies where the bible is very prominent
are hotbeds of religious self-righteousness, racism and bigotry.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap.
Q. I have fond memories of May devotions and the litany of Our Lady but
I was always puzzled by calling her the Ark of the Covenant.
A.The ark of the covenant was a very precious treasure-chest specially
constructed for carrying various relics of the Exodus and God's covenant with
the chosen people. It contained samples of the manna, the rod of Aaron who was
the priestly brother of Moses, and the stone tablets on which the commandments
were written. Mary is recognised as the ark of the new covenant because she
carried Jesus who is the true bread come down from heaven, the true priest or
mediator between God and humanity, and the teacher of the new commandment of
perfect love.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap.
Q. My friend does not believe in giving any religious instruction
to her children so as to let them decide for themselves when they grow up. She
says it is wrong to indoctrinate them. What can I tell her?
A. It doesn't say much for your friend's own religious commitment or
love for God. Parents make choices for children regarding medical care and education
because they want what is best for them. Anybody who appreciates religious beliefs
and values will want their offspring to share in these. The best way to spare
children from false teaching and wrong values is to teach them the truth.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. How is the Assumption of Mary different to any other person being taken
to heaven after death?
A. In Mary's case we believe that she was taken up body and soul into heaven.
It was not fitting that the body of her who was preserved free from sin by God's
grace should suffer decay in the grave. The bodies of holy saints were held
in deep veneration from earliest Christian times, but it is significant that
there is no record of veneration of the body of Mary. The reason - her body
was not left here below.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. Somebody told me that holy water is only a superstition and a leftover from
paganism. Is that true?
A. Holy water is what we call a sacramental, something we bless and use
to express our faith in God's presence and our trust in his protection. Water
reminds us of our baptism. Many episodes in the gospel involved water ... miracles
of healing, the woman at the well meeting Jesus, water turned into wine, water
and blood flowing from the heart of Jesus. Jesus promised the water to satisfy
our deepest thirst. Blessed water is a beautiful Christian symbol of the protection
of God over our homes and journeys, in times of illness or celebration.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. My friend has very bitter memories of her father and finds it very hard to
pray to God as Our Father. What can I tell her?
A. I have the utmost sympathy for anybody with unhappy memories of a
cruel father. It may be necessary to let go of the past and to move beyond personal
experience to appreciate what Jesus is revealing about God when he asked us
to pray to Our Father in heaven. He does not mean an authoritarian father but
he wants to express a God who is in close relationship with us in giving life,
supporting life and full of tender compassion. The best example is the father
of the prodigal son. Encourage your friend to turn the corner and let that compassionate
God hug her tenderly.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q.What grounds have we for believing that the consecrated bread is the body
of Christ?
A. Our belief is based on the words of Jesus and the belief of his first
followers. If the physical, human body of Jesus had been subjected to modern
DNA testing, the result would show that he was human but would fail to detect
his divine nature. Similarly, analysis of the sacred eucharist would reveal
the physical components of bread. Yet Jesus, at the last supper, took bread
and said unequivocally, "This is my body, which is for you". Belief
in his Eucharistic presence is not based on science but on accepting the word
of the Lord.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. Why can't we have just a simple idea of God without the complications
of the three divine persons?
A. Well, if something is true it is better to recognise it. We need some
understanding of the Blessed Trinity to appreciate how Jesus was sent by the
Father and returned to the Father: and to appreciate the role of the Holy Spirit.
At Mass, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we join with Jesus who took our human
nature to himself, went through death and resurrection, in his return to the
Father. We render all glory to the Father, through the Son, in the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn
Q. Why did Jesus call his teaching about love a new commandment? Wasn't this
teaching there already in the Old Testament?
A. Jesus showed a way of love that is new in its standard, 'as I have loved
you'. His love was new in the way it embraced even his enemies and detractors.
His love came from the goodness in his own heart rather than as a response to
something loveable in others. He loved the unlovable. His love went beyond hurts
and found forgiveness for those who tortured him. Christian love is new also
in its source because it is instilled by the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap.
Q. When did the Holy Spirit come on the apostles? Was it on the evening of the first day or after fifty days?
A. St. John says the first day and St. Luke writes about the fiftieth
day. Who is right? John emphasises the first day to show the new age of grace
that began with the resurrection. Fifty days after the Passover came Pentecost,
a celebration of seven weeks of harvesting. Luke uses the occasion to celebrate
the harvest of the nations whose representatives witness the power of the Spirit
in the apostles. First day or fiftieth? Both are correct because the Holy Spirit
comes every day.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. What happened at the resurrection? Is there any evidence of a massive
explosion of light or anything like that?
A. There are no accounts of the actual happening, nor of any wondrous
sights or sounds. Scripture has two sorts of story. First we get accounts of
the women discovering that the tomb was empty, a fact that amazed them. Then
we read accounts of the encounters of the Risen Lord with various disciples.
Perhaps the greatest proof of the resurrection was the transformation of the
terrified and confused disciples into dynamic preachers who inspired thousands
to believe in Jesus. Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. We are a little group who would like to pray with the Scriptures. Is
there any book you would recommend?
A. It is a very good idea to use each Sunday's gospel. There is a wise
balance in the seasons of the Church's year. As for a suitable book, I modestly
blush in recommending my own work! In 'The Good News of Luke's Year' you will
get two reflections for each week. These were written for people who never had
the chance to do deep study. A good way to use that book token you got at Christmas!
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap.
Q. Do we have any evidence that Jesus was born on 25 December?
A. We have no idea which day of the year was his birthday. The early
Christians did not celebrate his birthday at all. At this time of year, just
after the shortest day of the year, there used to be a pagan festival to honour
the return of the unconquered sun. In the fourth century, when Christianity
became the religion of the Roman Empire, this festival was taken over to celebrate
the coming of Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn PFM Cap
Q. What is the meaning of the Advent wreath ?
A. The circle reminds us that life, like a circle, begins and ends at
the same point, namely God. Evergreen leaves express God's faithful love. A
candle is lit for each of the four weeks, purple for penitential preparation.
One candle may be of rose colour for the third week for joy at the nearness
of the Lord. A white candle may represent Christ, the light for all time.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn PFM Cap
Q.What do you think of asking for a general absolution from every sin one
has ever committed?
A.There is no such thing as a 50% absolution or a 90% job. God desires to
grant 100% forgiveness to any sinner who turns in sorrow to ask for mercy. The
problem may be on our side of the bargain. If we are not 100% sorry and resolved
to do better, then our hardness of heart prevents God's grace from totally entering
our souls. The full remission of sins depends on our sincere repentance and
purpose of amendment.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. Somebody challenged my belief in the presence of Jesus in Holy Communion,
showing me where Jesus said that the flesh has nothing to offer. Doesn't this
contradict what Catholics believe about receiving Jesus, flesh and blood, soul
and divinity?
A. Catholic belief is based on the words of Jesus, such as:'My flesh
is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my
blood abide in me and I live in them'. In the line you quote, the word flesh
indicates the 'way of the flesh' – human thinking without the light of
faith.
Fr Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q.When we speak of the 'real presence' of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
does it imply that his presence in other ways, for instance in scripture, is
unreal?
A. It is confusing because, normally, real means that something is true
as opposed to untrue or phoney. But in eucharistic theology the word real is
used in the sense of the Latin adjective realis , which means pertaining to
some particular material or thing. The so called 'real presence' indicates the
special presence of God in the material of bread and wine. It does not imply
that other modes of divine presence are unreal or untrue.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. Is there any mention in the Bible of Mary's Assumption into heaven?
A. Our Lady's Assumption is not in the Bible. Under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, the Church has reflected on texts such as 'Hail, full of grace',
the angel's greeting to Mary. It is entirely fitting that the body which gave
flesh to the Son of God should not undergo the corruption of the grave.
The doctrine of the Assumption emphasises the sacred destiny of the human body.
Where she has gone we hope to follow, since baptism has made us heirs of the
kingdom of heaven.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. When I was young we were told that it was a sin even to knit on
a Sunday. I haven't heard a sermon on this for years. Has the Church changed
its teaching?
A. The new Catechism urges us to refrain from work or activities
that prevent us from observing the Lord's day in a prayerful manner. A relaxing
hobby like knitting is very much in keeping with the spirit of Sunday. We owe
it to God, to our family and to ourselves to have a day of holy restfulness
each week. It is sad to see Sunday turned into a big shopping day. The shopping
centre is the new temple.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. It appears that Peter and Paul did not always get on too well
together. Isn't it odd to celebrate the two of them in the one feast?
A. One or two differences of strategy would not mean that they were always at
odds with one another. They were united in their dedication to Christ and the
courageous witness of martyrdom. Another reason for a joint celebration is to
present them as the founding fathers of the church in Rome, then the capital
of the world. Christians saw them as replacing Romulus and Remus, the traditional
founders of Rome.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn
Q. Does a person receive more grace by taking Holy Communion from the chalice
as well as from the host?
A. The short answer is 'No'. Even a tiny particle of the sacred host is
a total meeting with the Lord who is the Bread of Life. However, for better
liturgy we should be moving towards the availability of the chalice to all who
receive.
It is not a question of receiving more grace but a more complete fulfilment
of the Lord's invitation at the last supper to eat this bread and drink this
cup.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn
Q. Why do we have to complicate the simple idea of God with the mystery of the
Blessed Trinity?
A. The doctrine of the Blessed Trinity reveals to us a clearer idea of what
God is like. God is not an impersonal sort of 'remote control' over the world
but more like a family, united in knowing and loving. To grow in prayer means
that one advances in personal relationship with the Father over all, with Jesus
our saviour and with the Holy Spirit. Our liturgy renders glory to the Father,
through the Son, by the power of the Spirit.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn
Q. What does the name Pentecost mean?
A. 'Pentecost' comes from the Greek word for 50. Fifty days after Easter,
the first day after seven weeks marked the beginning of a new era. The Jews
had a feast for the first fruits of the season on the 50th day after Passover.
The coming of the Holy Spirit marks the birth of the Church. The many nations
in Jerusalem that day are the first fruits of the harvest. The disciples received
the wind of new breathing, the fire of new loving and the tongues of new preaching.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn
Q. What is the meaning of Amen?
A. It is a Hebrew word meaning "Yes" or "It's a fact"
or "so be it". It is an expression of agreement with what has been
said. Jesus sometimes began a statement, "Amen, Amen", as a way of
claiming divine authority for his words.
"Amen" at the end of a prayer is a way of stating our full agreement
to the sentiments expressed.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynn OFM Cap
Q. Is there any special reason why May is called the month of Mary?
A. There is no special theological reason but it is very fitting, because
this is the month when Mother Nature shows off her beauty and fertility. Birds
hatch their young, fields spring to life and trees blossom with the promise
of autumn's fruit. Pagan religions held fertility celebrations on May Day. Since
the 18th century, Catholics have seen fit to celebrate Mary's motherhood in
this beautiful month.
Fr. Silvester O'Flynne OFM Cap.