This Week's News

Advent Penitential Liturgy

Come and join together as our new Pastoral area of St Edmond of Abingdon on Wednesday evening.

We are hosting an Advent Penitential Liturgy for everyone, in church, at 7.30pm with hymns and Examination of Conscience, then a chance to meet each other afterwards with refreshments.

Congratulations to Canon Christopher Whitehead on his new appointment as Bishop of Plymouth.

Christmas wishes

Just when we though that our brilliant Preschool couldn't be any more lovely, we received this beautiful display. Look out for it when you are next at Mass.
Thank you so much to all the staff, children and families at St Augustines preschool.

What a fantastic few weeks it has been here at St Augustine's Church as we prepare for Christmas together.

Here are just some of the things that have been going on.....

*We all enjoyed the annual 'Carols by Candlelight' service last weekend where the church looked beautiful and everyone was in fine voice, particularly our Hong Kong community who joined together to sing some carols from the balcony in their own language. We all then feasted on mince pies and cuppas in the hall whilst the prize draw was announced!

*We also collected loads of gifts for handing out as Christmas presents on the soup run during 'Gift weekend', so a huge thank you to all who contributed and all who work to help those who are living on our streets.

*Our primary school children led us in a lovely Advent Mass and brought up the wishes they had made, hanging on their class trees.

*And on Friday we hosted the Community, Christmas Sing-a-long with the Salvation Army band and Young People's Choir and, afterwards, the Bristol Pan Sonic Steel band entertained everyone in the hall and outside, whilst the church remained open for people to light a candle for peace or for someone they are thinking about this Christmas.
Organiser, Martyn Poole from the Warm Space Community Cafe, had wanted to create a friendly, Christmas sing-a-long event for everyone to enjoy and to feel welcome to attend, whether they were someone with faith or not. He wanted the message of our church being open to all to be heard. This was inspired by conversations he had with a few people at the warm space cafe who were not looking forward to Christmas, as they would have in the past, due to loneliness or bereavement or other life changes and he wanted to make something lovely for the community to bring a smile to people's faces.
You certainly achieved that Martyn - a huge thank you to all the people who worked hard for all of these advent events.

Thanks to Deacon Vincent for these Reflections on the Fourth Sunday in Advent Year B

1st Reading from the second book of Samuel 7: 1-5, 8-12, 14, 16.
The first and second book of Samuel deals with the transition from a loose confederation of tribes to a single nation under a King. This is an important moment in the history of the people of God, as they move from judges to monarchs. This move was to cope with the threat posed by the expansion of the Philistines and covers a period 1050-960 BC. The second book of Samuel covers the period when David is king up ntil his later years. The text we have today is concerning David’s feeling of guilt that now he is safely established as King and living in a fine palace the Ark of God is living under a tent. He consults Nathan the prophet, who initially sanctions David’s decision to build a more suitable dwelling place for the Ark of God. However, that night God speaks to Nathan and asks him to question David’s intention as he might not be the right man to accomplish this project. God then instructs Nathan to tell David that his throne is secure and his son will continue to rule and furthermore God promises that his house and his throne will last for ever. God assures David that the Messiah will be of his line, and that rule will last for ever. Hence Jesus’ ancestry will be deemed to be of David’s line through Joseph. God certainly loved David very much.

Psalm 88: 2-5, 27, 29.
This song is about this covenant that God made with David, the covenant which we have just been reading in the second book of Samuel. It is full of David’s love for God and God’s love for David. A wonderful song of joy.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans 16: 25-27.
The text we have today is the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Romans, and Paul assures them that the “gospel” he has preached to them, was wrapped in silence for eternal ages, but at last was made known in the prophetic writings as instructed by the eternal God. This has been transmitted to the Gentiles so they can be obedient in faith to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Paul always begins and ends with God and Jesus Christ. His message is made known to all the Gentiles. God is embracing the whole of his creation through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To Him be glory for ever.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 1: 26-38.
This beautiful picture, painted in words by Luke has been attempted by a thousand artists. This needs to be read together with Luke’s account of Gabriel’s message to Zachariah. The message begins with, “Do not be afraid.” Like Zachariah, Mary notes the difficulty of the message, namely how can she have a baby when she is a virgin. It is a very sensible question and shows no sign of doubting the message. Immediately Gabriel explains, then Mary goes along with the message without any hesitation. What is really wonderful in all of this is the fact that Mary is a girl of no status and is from an insignificant village in a third world country. Whilst great men are straddling the world they pale into insignificance when faced with awe inspiring God becoming man in Jesus Christ. There is a silent person in these first wo chapters of Luke and that is the person of God. Luke tells us that the Angel Gabriel is sent, and although no name is mentioned we know that person is God. God is totally in charge of everything. Caesar can order a census to be taken of all his possessions but it is God who uses the occasion to fulfil the prophecies God has been inspiring for generations that the Messiah will be born of David’s line and even more in the city of David, namely Bethlehem. We like to think we are in charge of events but in reality God is monitoring all we do.

May God awaken our Faith as we greet the Newborn Babe on the morrow full of JOY.
Have a truly Happy & Holy Christmas. Deacon Vincent

Christmas Wishes from CAFOD in Clifton Diocese
Wishing you all in your Parish: joyful but peaceful and filled with hope Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ! Thank you for all your support to suffering brothers and sisters around Our Common Home!
I would like to personally thank you and your Parish community for all your inspirational support and missionary effort in evangelising through “remember(ing) the poor” (Gal 2:10) by inspiring your Parish community to be missionary and to help our suffering brothers and sisters around Our Common Home!
Wishing you all in the Parish: joyful but peaceful and filled with hope Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ!
A gift from me to all our diocesan community: CAFOD World Gifts: Therapy Through Play for children affected by war.
Remembering you in my prayers.
Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us!
In Christ,
Bart

This Week's News

Congratulations

A few weekends ago we were all delighted to share in Gavin's 1st Holy Communion at our Sunday morning Mass.

Gavin had completed all his Holy Communion guidance lessons before moving to our parish and so we were able to celebrate his special day all together in November.


Please remember Gavin and all the children who are just starting the new Communion programme in your prayers.

Dear Lord, we thank You and praise You for the most precious gift of the Holy Eucharist. We ask You to bless all those who are preparing to receive Your Body and Blood for the first time. You have provided for us richly through the gift of Your Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Help us to recognise and celebrate your presence everyday in our lives. Walk with us on our journey of faith as you once did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Amen.

The Joint Advent Service took place at Yate on the 7th of December.

We started with the John the Baptist in the 'wilderness' (St. Paul's School) and then processed with candles into the lighted Church.

A good celebration of Advent followed by refreshments.

Ukrainian Christmas

Vertep is a Ukrainian Christmas portable theatre and drama, which presents the Nativity and other scenes.

Ukrainian community invites everyone to join Ukrainian Christmas church service and Vertep performance with carolling on 17th December in St Augustine church at 3.30pm.

Вертеп - це тепло, емоції, жарти та Різдвяний настрій.
17 грудня в церкві St Augustine’s, Downend молодіжна спільнота Gloucester запрошує всіх бажаючих взяти участь в перегляді Різдвяного українського вертепу і колядок.

Reflections for the Third Sunday in Advent Year B ~ Gaudete Sunday ~ from Deacon Vincent.

1st Reading from the prophet Isaiah 61: 1-2, 10-11.
The first two verses of this text were used by Luke for the basis of Jesus’ mission statement during his very brief sermon at Nazareth. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” It is the third Isaiah’s vision of the Anointed one, filled with the Holy Spirit. Christians immediately associated this vision with Jesus, as we see clearly illustrated by Luke’s Gospel. The latter part of the text is Jerusalem’s song of praise and Isaiah beautifully blends the vision of the bride and groom, men and women within the illustration of pure joy, and again the pure joy of the earth growing her flowers and the garden its’ seeds. He has embraced the whole of creation in this song of praise. The third Isaiah is a master of poetic vision.

Psalm, taken from Luke’s Gospel 1: 46-50, 53-54.
This is Mary’s song, whilst still pregnant, on her visit to Elizabeth to share their joy at the marvels of God’s creative work in both. The link of John the Baptist and Jesus whilst both in the womb, is an appropriate meditation for us at Advent, filled with Joy.

2nd Reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 5: 16-24.
This text is taken from the very earliest surviving New Testament document, and it is interesting for us to note the already important themes for Paul’s Ministry. Good order, compassion and respect for all and Joy (a word constantly on the lips of Paul). Then there is prayer and gratitude for our salvation and over all these the “Spirit”. Paul is filled with the Spirit, which allows him to overflow with joy even in difficult situations.

The Holy Gospel according to John 1: 6-8, 19-28.
We now witness the similar way that John’s Gospel introduces Jesus through John the Baptist. Here John clearly states that The Baptist is only a witness to the Light; that Light being Jesus. The priests and Levites were sent by the authorities to The Baptist to establish by what authority he comes to be preaching repentance and baptising people to wash their sins away. John the Baptist tells them that he is not the “Christ”, he is the “voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” for the Christ. John’ Gospel uses the same quote from Isaiah, as Mark to describe John’s mission. John’s Gospel again uses the same words as Mark, when John the Baptist says about not being worthy to undo the sandals of the one who is to come after him, but has a subtle addition, to inform them that the Christ stands among them, unseen at this moment. John’s Gospel even gives the location where this conversation occurs. All four Gospels attest to the importance of John the Baptist in the launching of Jesus’ mission to the world.

May we “Joyously” follow the Gospel life, authentically, in preparation for Jesus’ Second Coming.
Deacon Vincent.

This Week's News

Advent 'Carols by Candlelight' Service - Sunday 10th December at 3pm.

Join us by candlelight in St Augustine's Church as we prepare the way to journey to Jesus this Christmas.

Traditional carols to sing and an activity for the little ones (and not so little ones!)
Then, of course, we will invite you all into the hall for mince pies and cuppas!

We will also have a hamper raffle for our 2 Parish Projects, Mike Procter Foundation and Friends of the Earth as well as holding the Big Christmas Prize Draw!
See you there!

Soup Run Christmas - Gift Sunday

This weekend is our annual collection of gifts for the people we meet who are living on the streets this Christmas.
Our Soup Run team will be taking any donations and making up gift parcels so everyone gets the same. (No need to wrap anything)
So, if you are able to donate new woolly hat or gloves, deodorants or the 125g sized chocolate bars these will make amazing gift parcels for those who are homeless this Christmas.
You will be invited to bring up your items during the Offertory at both Masses this weekend or bring your item to the parish office by Monday 11th December.
We thank you in advance for your generosity.

Our new Community Defibrillator!

We are delighted to announce that a Heartsafe resuscitation AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) has been purchased through the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity at a cost of £2,250 plus electrician fees & will soon be installed outside of our church. Thank you to Cathy, Petra and Maureen for your help in organising the project.

The AED will be for anyone who needs it whilst at Church, the hall, pre-school or school activities and, of course, for the whole local area to use too. The danger of cardiac arrest is significantly improved if there is access to an AED so this is a vital asset for our area and we are so pleased to be able to help with the 'chain of survival'.

We will arrange awareness & training sessions soon, (always with tea and biscuits!) so our parish & wider community can see how easy they are to use and what a major difference they make to someone in medical need.

It’s been purchased from St Augustine’s Parish funds upfront & we’ve had a wonderful donation from Downend and Bromley Heath Parish Council and also from ‘Heartsafe’ to help out with the costs.

Could you help towards the costs of the AED too?

If you are able to donate we are very grateful to you.
Either bring your donation to the parish office, or if you wish to donate via bank transfer please use these details:

Bank account: ST AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY, BRISTOL
Sort Code: 52-10-03 Account No: 66286417
and please use reference: ‘AED’

If you are happy for us to claim Gift Aid on your donation (we can claim an extra 25%, at no cost to you) please use one of our special envelopes from the back of church or from the office - complete your details & make a note on the envelope if you are paying by bank transfer and we will match it up to your donation or simply pop your cash donation inside it.

If we receive more than we need in donations we will pass the extra to the Great Western Air Ambulance.

Thank you all, in advance, for your generosity.

UPDATE*******

Well.... to say that the people of our community have been generous is an understatement!

Over the 2 Masses last weekend a wonderful £612.45 was donated!
How fantastic! So, with other donations which have been made, the craft sale a few weeks ago and the stall at the bazaar we are already at £1,008.99!
Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council donated a fantastic £1,000 and we had a further £100 from 'Heartsafe'. Plus, we have more donations coming in via bank transfer and the Gift Aid we can claim on a few of the donations too, we are really close to covering all the costs from your kindness!
This is a brilliant demonstration of the generosity of you all in these difficult financial times, to help the good of the wider parish community. Christianity in Action
We thank you all so much - look out for news of some get-togethers in the new year where we can learn about how AEDs work, how user friendly and simple our model will be, how it talks you through the whole process (literally), and what a difference it will make if someone is ever in medical difficulty.

Countdown to Christmas - THANK YOU!

We are delighted to announce the fundraising details of our Countdown to Christmas Event. What an amazing event it was for us this year, with records people coming to support it.

We tried hard to give as low cost an event as we could, due to times being so tricky right now, but also a fun afternoon with plenty to see, hear, eat, drink, do and win! We hope we got the balance right?

Just look at the figures raised and what all the groups and charities will have made for their causes! We are all so very grateful for the support!

Thank you thank you thank you all, once again, from the Parish Social Committee.

Happy Belated Birthday!

On the 1st Sunday of Advent we welcomed Fr Frank, who celebrated Mass for Fr Barnabas whilst he was away, and we were able to wish him a belated Happy 80th Birthday too!

 

 

Thanks, as ever, to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections for this weekend, the Second Sunday of Advent Year B.

1st Reading from the prophet Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11.
Here is the beginning of the Second Isaiah’s writings and is set in Babylon towards the end of the Exile there. It’s style is a clear indication that we are dealing with a single writer, probably a disciple of the first Isaiah. It is taking God’s message that their time of trial is ending, that the Babylonian gods have shown themselves useless in the face of Cyrus, whom God has chosen to free his people. God is telling them that their pathway will be straightened, and it will not be so hard to return as it was being led into captivity. The Lord has triumphed over their persecutor, God is “like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast”. Here again is the image of the Good Shepherd. God really is the “Good Shepherd”, looking after his flock, keeping an eye on the wandering and constantly looking for the lost, to bring them back into the fold. If we hold on to this image of our God, we will always remember that he is looking for us no matter how far we roam. Isaiah’s visions are truly universal and for all time in all situations.

Psalm 84: 9-14.
A prayer for God’s blessing, beautifully crafted, this song cries out for God’s abiding gifts of, “Peace”, “Mercy”, “Faithfulness”, and “Justice”. All God asks is for our respect, by which we want to follow his ways.

2nd Reading from the second letter of St. Pater 3: 8-14.
This seems to address an issue that dominated the early Church. It appears to have stemmed fro Jesus himself who implied the end was near. When it wasn’t happening, the people were raising questions. Peter is determined to stick with the idea; but realises that God’s timing is not our timing. Secondly, Peter visualises the mercy of God in wanting all to be saved, so God is patient. Peter is anxious that they should not let things slip but stay close to the Gospel life, and then they will be ready whether God calls them home before the final day, or if they are present when the end comes. Peter who was so close to Jesus all the way through Jesus’ Ministry, trusts him implicitly. We would do weel to follow Peter’s example of trust.

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 1: 1-8.

With this short and direct statement, we enter our reading of the “First” of the Gospels to be written for us. The opening word “Beginning”, not only illustrates where we are but echoes the opening of Holy Scripture at Genesis, “In the beginning”. Good news is translated in Greek as, “evangelion”, which comes through the Anglo-Saxon as “God-spel”, hence Gospel became the title of this genre. Messiah enters Greek as “Christ” and in this Gospel is used as a title, rather than a name. “Son of God” is not in all manuscripts but is likely to be what Mark wrote and is most certainly what he meant. Mark immediately uses Isaiah to address exactly who John is. John is the one who prepares the way of the Lord, and there is no doubt that Mark is referring to Jesus as Lord, whereas Isaiah was referring to God the Father. John’s mission has something to do with sin, for he is preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sin. So, John’s mission is something about confronting the reality of sin, and indeed is Jesus’ mission also. The description of John’s attire, I believe, is Mark pointing out to the people the old prophecy that Elijah would appear when the Messiah came. John indicates that the Messiah is coming after him, so his mission is all about pointing to Jesus. Jesus is the strong and powerful one. In a few sentences Mark has set out his stall; Jesus is the real thing He is the Messiah, the Son of God. It is an abrupt and direct opening of this Gospel, very much reflecting the way Peter, who was thought to be the inspiration for Mark, addressed his thoughts and speech. When we read Mark, we are experiencing the first thoughts of the Church in discovering exactly who Jesus was. It is an exciting fast-moving Gospel.
May God enable us to capture the excitement of discovering Jesus afresh this Advent.
Deacon Vincent.

This week's News

“SPRINGS IN THE WILDERNESS” ~ OUR ADVENT SERVICE.

St Paul’s Church in Yate.
Let's join together with our Parishes in Communion on Thursday 7th December in St Paul's at 7.30pm at for an Advent service.

All are welcome.

Coming soon.....

The fabulous photobooth gang have nearly finished working on the brilliant pictures taken at the 'Countdown to Christmas' event - so look out for your photo in your email inbox in the next week.

Please feel free to share your own pic on our Facebook page if you would like to - we'd all love to see them! 

Here is a message from Bart, the Community Participation Officer for CAFOD in Bristol.
"I write to you today as we watch with hope and apprehension the unfolding crisis in the Holy Land.
Let me first of all reassure you that, though heavily restricted, humanitarian aid is reaching people worst hit in Gaza through CAFOD’s partners who live and work in the region. Thank you, so much, to all those of you have donated or fundraised so far to resource this aid.
However, with great sadness I must report to you more deaths of staff and volunteers in our partner organisations. Please do pray for their families and colleagues as you pray for the conflict to end. Their colleagues continue to risk their lives daily, to provide life-saving help to others in great need.
As the conflict enters its ninth week, we are now also asking all parishes to do what they can to support our Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal.
We also invite your parish to join us in calling for a lasting peace by writing to the Foreign Secretary. Thank you to the over 6,500 supporters and volunteers who already have. (See Link)
We join with the Bishops Conference in praying that:
‘as we approach the Holy Season of Advent…Christ the Prince of Peace will guide all devastated by this conflict into the ways of truth, reconciliation, and respectful co-existence.’
We are acutely conscious of this busy season of Advent and Christmas in your communities, a season when we go in our minds and our hearts to Bethlehem and Judea; and so we hope you and your parish will find our Advent and Christmas parish resources useful.
Together we can dare to hope for peace in the Holy Land this Advent.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support.
In Christ, Bart"

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Shafts of Light, Shafts of Hope in Advent.

Advent is a time of light, of waiting and hope, of light and joy. Join us as we reflect on these great themes with music, art, and scripture. See it as a mini retreat to give some focus to this busy time of present buying, food shopping, baking and wrapping of gifts.

The mini retreat will be run by The Clifton Evangelist Diocesan team twice online, just click on your chosen session link below:
Thursday 14th December 7-8pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bef05e7a-38d9-4349-8c6c-39c0d79dda93@f10b8f13-604e-4fa2-9e12-04a7fad22e94

Repeated on,
Tuesday 19th December 3-4pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e1cc27ee-0fba-403e-a6a4-86c34a930b1a@f10b8f13-604e-4fa2-9e12-04a7fad22e94

Vacancy at Clifton Diocese - Safeguarding Officer.
Part-time – 21 hours per week (Wednesday to Friday)
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton is committed to safeguarding and this vacancy provides an opportunity for a skilled and experienced professional to join the Safeguarding team at Alexander House, Pennywell Road, Bristol.

The Safeguarding Officer role supports the ongoing development of safeguarding across the Diocese and the management of cases. The successful applicant will need to have comprehensive knowledge and experience of safeguarding legislation, policy procedure and best practice guidance and come from a background of either Social Work, Policing, Health or Probation.

For further information about this role please visit www.cliftondiocese.com/Diocese/working-for-us or contact Janice Pearson or Tracey Holford, Clifton Diocese on 0117 954 0993. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 5th January 2024 with the intention of interviewing on Thursday 18th January 2024.

Thank you to Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for the Feast of Christ the King Year A.

1st Reading from the prophet Ezekiel 14: 11-12, 15-17.

Ezekiel was in the first set of exiles to Babylon, he was a priest like Isaiah and Jeremiah, He had a very powerful call from God as he describes at the beginning of the book. He uses a wide range of literary forms. Ezekiel’s calling by God, is to proclaim God’s message not only for those in exile but also for those still in Judah. Ezekiel uses symbolic actions to illustrate the message God has given him. He is a very strange but fascinating character. Our extract that we have today is proclaiming that Israel will rise again. God has eloquently described to Ezekiel how he is to be viewed by the people. God is a good shepherd who looks after the weak as well as the healthy. God knows those who are his sheep, and those who pretend, he also knows those who are the rams and goats. God knows all his sheep!! Sometimes our life in this society is very much like being in exile, Ezekiel’s messages from God can be of great assistance to us today, especially the encouragement to persevere, hope and trust in the Lord.

Psalm 22: 1-3, 5-6.
This beautiful poem continues our theme of the Good Shepherd. God is our good shepherd, he is always seeking our welfare and guarding us against the evil one, feeding us and filling us with his goodness. This psalm never fails to lift our hope and trust in God, especially when we are feeling low.

2nd Reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28.
In this extract Paul runs a parallel between Adam and Christ. Adam brought death into the world; Christ is God’s answer to death. This death will gradually be eliminated in the universe, but in their proper order; Christ first, then Christians and finally the whole of creation, as it is restored to its’ proper order as God had designed it. Paul has given Jesus a very high status, calling him Lord, and clearly has some understanding of Christ’s equivalence to God. However, Paul now moderates his thoughts by accounting how Christ will then hand everything over to the Most High God, and Paul emphasises that the Son is also subject to God. We see how the community was still teasing out its’ early Credo. Maybe we are still exploring that relationship today.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 25: 31-46.
This passage portrays Christ as the Judge enthroned as King in all his glory, surrounded by his angels. Jesus gives us a vision of a shepherd king dividing the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be admitted to God’s kingdom because they treated Christ charitably, when he appeared in the form of one of the least of his brothers and sisters, whereas the goats will be cast out because when Christ appeared as one of the least, they sent them packing without any assistance. Both sets will be astounded and inquire as to when this all happened. Jesus tells us that he is in each every one of us, rich or poor alike and when any of us need assistance we are expected to provide loving care. We are judged by how we behave to each other. This is another illustration of Jesus answer to the scribe who asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus’ response was and still is today, “Love God with all your heart and soul, this is the greatest and the second is similar to the first, Love your neighbour as yourself.” That is the challenge to all of us throughout our lives, without exception. It is a challenging end to our ecclesiastical year and is Matthew’s final word before he relates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God give us the insight to see you in the disadvantaged of this world. Deacon Vincent

THANK YOU!

What can we say..... just a wonderful feeling to see SO MANY people (411 to be exact!) coming to our "Countdown to Christmas" event on Saturday afternoon.

The feedback has been really positive with many saying how nice it was to get together as a community, with plenty of things to do for the kids and us grown ups! And with the lovely live music being played by so many people, Santa opening the event and being a busy man for the whole afternoon, mulled wine and Irish coffees flowing like never before and people enjoying lunch together, it really was a true, festive, community event of which we can all be very proud.

Thank you to ALL involved, and there were many. We can't thank you enough. Here's to next year!

Enjoy the photos.

This week's News

Parish Project for 2024

If, like Bella and Mike, you would like to ‘champion’ a charity next year & raise money & awareness through the parish, please outline details about the charity and why it is important to you and email/send a letter to Fr Barnabas by 8th Dec.

Then, if there are more than 2 nominated we will have a parish vote!

As we are nearing the end of 2023 we wish to publicly thank Bella and Mike for all the hard work they have put in to raise awareness of the 2 charities - The Mike Procter Foundation and Friends of the Earth.

When the final events have taken place we will be delighted to announce the amounts raised for both charities over the year and look back on all the lovely things done in their name.

Advent 2023

As Advent is getting near, please take a look at all the Masses, Services and events happening up to and including Christmas during this new season of the Church.
Plus, a little message from Fr Barnabas.

Local Food Bank

During Advent, as we prepare for the Season of Joy and Goodwill, we think of those who are struggling. Would you like to support the local food bank? We will put out a box at the back of church & we will get these things to the local food bank for you if you wish to drop off any items whilst at church.
This is a very generous parish and we acknowledge and thank you all for what you do for the wider community, be it supporting the Soup Run, the Parish projects, the 2nd collections at Mass and the special events and fundraising we put on.
Please see the list of what the food bank needs (and doesn't need) below and help if you can. Thank you.

New Pastoral Areas

Please see the leaflet from Fr Eugene Campbell about our new Pastoral Area.

“I would very much like to start a process of listening going across our Pastoral Area in order to move forward in hope. I would like us to gather and share thoughts and visions for the future on how we can collaborate more closely and move forward the mission of the Church.

These meetings will eventually move around the Pastoral Area but to start with, I invite you to come to Holy Family, Patchway, BS34 5DP on Saturday 2nd December from 10am to 12pm. Refreshments will be provided.

I do hope parishioners from all parishes of our Pastoral Area will come along. As Bishop Declan reminds us, “If we are inward looking we will die, but if we are outward looking, we will be challenged but we will live and know that we are faithful to the Gospel.”

God Bless, Fr Eugene Campbell VF

This week's News

Please use this link to read the statement from Rt Rev Declan Lang, Bishop of Clifton Diocese about the ongoing war and violence in the Holy Land

Remembrance Weekend 2023

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

we will remember them."

 

 

Countdown to Christmas Community Event:

Saturday 18th November free (from 12noon to 3pm), come and start your 'Countdown to Christmas' together.

Come and have some lunch, some delicious refreshments, a bit of fun and a dose of 'festive feelgood'!

Excellent Christmas Shopping opportunities, from Body Shop to beautiful jewellery, from healing crystals to hand made cards, from Christmas wreaths to Roger's pickles - there will be something for everyone!

Our School, Preschool, Girl guiding and parish groups are all involved and hoping to bring us all together and raise funds for the future - we'd love to see you all there.

And don't forget that we have secured the services of "The Big Guy in Red" again this year!

**** As we don't have snazzy 'card readers' for lots of the stalls, please remember to bring some good, old fashioned cash with you so you can enjoy all the food, fun and festivities!

Looking forward to seeing you all!

***ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE*** Don't forget that our neighbours, who are raising money for the Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal, will have their big switch on this Saturday 18th November.
If you are planning to come to Mass by car that evening you'll need to approach the church by the bungalow/Lytchet drive side (as the other side closest to the hill/Downend Sports Centre will be busy with families etc and partially closed off for a while). Please take care when driving up and parking etc.
We are all invited to come along from 5pm to enjoy the build up!
We wish them well with their fundraising efforts for such a good cause and we'll be able to enjoy the lights every time we visit or drive past the church each evening from that date.

New Clifton Diocese Pastoral Areas:
On Saturday 7 October, over 200 delegates from the parishes of Clifton Diocese gathered with Bishop Declan at St Bernadette’s School in Bristol for a day of formation and to explore how our 9 new Pastoral Areas can collaborate and support one another.
David Wells gave two talks, providing formation for the spiritual listening conversations which followed to explore the questions of how we should be when we come together, and what benefits the new pastoral areas offer to parishes. Canon Colin Mason concluded the event by gathering the fruits that the different spiritual conversation groups fed back to the whole delegation.

Click here to see the booklet showing feedback:
https://cliftondiocese.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Diocesan-Day-Feedback-booklet.pdf

Click here to see videos of the talks:
https://cliftondiocese.com/news/diocesan-new-pastoral-areas/

And click here to see the full list of the new areas:
https://cliftondiocese.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Deaneries-List-2023-V2.pdf

Thanks to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections for Thirty-Third Sunday I Ordinary Time Year A

1st Reading from the book of Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31.
Proverbs is an unusual work, it is a collection of instructions for the young, expressed in all sorts of different ways. Assembled over several centuries it established its final format about 6th or 5th centuries BC. It includes comparisons and analogies, as well as parables. It can, on the face of it, appear contradictory, but uses these opposed meanings to emphasise something of the complexities of life. This passage selected for us to read today is part of the conclusion of Proverbs with a description of the “Valiant Woman”, in Greek “valiant “, meaning the opposite to those who are idle. She has some of the virtues of “Wisdom”, which we read from last week. It illustrates the virtues to be looked for in the ideal wife. It encourages a young man to seek out such a woman, to assist his life’s journey in following the Gospel life.

Psalm 127: 1-5.

This psalm echoes our first reading, as we discover how God blesses our work and our family. We should always remember the great gifts the Lord disposes upon those endeavouring to follow his teachings. May we all look forward to a finally happy and peaceful world.

2nd Reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 5: 1-6.
Paul clearly believes that Jesus will return, but he emphasises that life must go on until that day. We should not trouble ourselves with speculating upon the date and time of the event, what we need to do is concentrate upon living the Gospel life, as Jesus illustrated it to us. We need to love God and serve him with great humility, caring for God’s creation, and loving our neighbours as ourselves. If we live such lives then we need not worry about when the Lord will come, as we will be ready to receive Jesus with due honour and glory and holy joy.

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 25: 14-30.
We continue reading Matthew’s account of Jesus’ instructions and expectations of his disciples. It is discomforting for us to realise that Jesus does have expectations of his disciples. Jesus expects us to thrive on what gifts he disposes upon us according to our abilities. We have the Holy Spirit to call upon for assist, so we must use the talents to advance the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth, till Jesus comes again. Being a follower of Jesus, requires much more than just having our blessings for our self-comfort. It requires us to share our good news with our neighbour. St. Francis always used to say to his followers, “Preach the Gospel daily to the world, and if necessary, use words.” All that is required is for us to be genuinely following the gospel life, full of joy, compassion and genuine concern for the welfare of our neighbour. Making our Christian communities places of joyful love and care, where everybody is welcome. Communities of vibrant, dynamic livers of the Gospel.

May God inspire us to love and serve our neighbour in the footsteps of Jesus. Deacon Vincent.

*I fully acknowledge the assist given me by Nicholas King’s Study Bible in this and all my reflections. For his insight into the books and writings of the Holy Bible. He has been my inspiration and insight into the wonders of Holy Scripture. *