Archdiocese of Liverpool – Our Lady of the Annunciation and Saint Bernadette
Twenty Ninth Sunday of the Year
World Mission Day
19 October 2014
Little Caesars
When the Pharisees and Herodians
tried to trick Jesus (“Is it permissible to
pay taxes to Caesar or not?”) his reply
was simple. Whatever you are called on
to do, your loyalty must
be to God alone.
We are still faced
today with lots of little
Caesars, with people and
institutions that claim to
know what’s best for us
and which demand our
obedience and loyalty. It
may be the State that
enacts laws which no Christian
conscience can accept. What do we then
do? Support the government because
it’s unpatriotic not to? What if we were
involved in a political but unjust war?
Caesar or God?
And what about the little Caesars
who are experts in their field? What if
they decide to play with human life, to
clone or to tinker with DNA in order to
eradicate what they think is undesirable,
to hasten the death of the terminally ill?
Caesar or God?
What about the religious and political
Caesars who are so anxious to have
their say in the appointment of bishops
lest they relativise Caesar’s position?
On a different level, our Caesars can
often be at work. Are we involved in a
business that does not break the law but
certainly does not offer true value to the
customer or client?
Would speaking out
mean that we would lose
our job? Caesar or God?
Even our friends. We
can find ourselves caught
up in company where the
atmosphere and
conversation usually
takes a decided turn for
the worst after a few drinks. But they
would think we were priggish or a prude
if we made any comment.
The list is endless. Caesar versus God
is about making our own views known
without imposing them on other people,
without taking away their conscience
from them. Christians are at their worst
when they are pointing fingers. But
what is required is a clarity in the way
we proclaim our faith and values,
without accusing others of being less
than us.
Not everything that is legal is moral.
It was St Thomas More who fittingly
lived out today’s gospel when, as he
went to his death, he said, “I die the
king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Mass Intentions this week
Day
Church
Twenty Ninth
Sunday of the Year
Time
Intention
Though you do not know me, I arm you that people may know from
the rising of the sun to its setting that, apart from me, all is nothing.
(Isaiah 45:5-6)
Saturday
St Bernadette’s
St Marie’s
5.30 pm
6.45 pm
Barbara Clark (LD)
Alessandro Marco Ferro (LD)
Sunday
St Bernadette ’s
St Marie’s
9.30 am
11.00 am
People of the Parish
Brian Barnes (Anniversary)
Mo n d a y
St Marie’s
9.15 am
Winifred & Clifford Hesketh (Anniv)
Tu e s d a y
St Bernadette ’s
St Marie’s
9.15 am
7.00 pm
Pat Draper (Birthday Remembrance)
Elizabeth Kowalski (LD)
Th u r s d a y
St Bernadette's
9.15 am
Margaret Levy (Anniversary)
Friday
St Marie’s
9.15 am
Roy Cash (LD)
Thirtieth Sunday of
the Year
If you lend money to any of my people... you must not demand
interest from him. (Exodus 22: 24-25)
Saturday
St Bernadette’s
St Marie’s
5.30 pm
6.45 pm
John Galvin ((Anniversary)
Charles Castelli (Anniversary)
Sunday
St Bernadette ’s
St Marie’s
9.30 am
11.00 am
People of the Parish
Greg Speakman (Anniversary)
Clergy: Father John Hindley
Saint Marie’s Presbytery
Almond Brook Road
Standish, Wigan, WN6 0TB
Telephone:
01257 423291
Serving the Churches of:
St Marie of the Annunciation
Standish
www.stmariesstandish.co.uk
St Bernadette Shevington
www.stbernadettesshevington.org.uk
Parish Office at St Marie’s:
Open 9.00 am to 12 noon
Monday - Friday
[email protected]
www.twitter.com/stmstb
Baptisms: By prior arrangement.
Information available at weekend
Masses. All baptisms take place during
Mass. St Bernadette’s first Sunday, St
Marie’s third Sunday of the month.
Confessions:
St Bernadette’s: Sun 9.10 - 9.20 am.
St Marie’s: Tue 6.30 - 6.50 pm.
or by request.
Church opening: Please remember
that St Marie’s Church is open for
private prayer during weekdays
between 9.00 am and 12 noon.
Funerals and Marriages: By
arrangement.
Visits to sick and housebound:
Please inform Fr John if you know of
sick or housebound parishioners
who would like Holy Communion.
Hospital Visits: If you wish to see a
priest please let the hospital staff
know.
Mass Requests: Place in an
envelope and hand in to the Sacristy
or to the Parish Office at Saint
Marie’s. Please indicate your
preferred church, if any. Please also
specify the reason for the intention,
i.e. recently deceased, anniversary
etc. For a particular day, please
request early.
Newsletter Notices: Please e-mail
to [email protected] or hand
in to the Parish Office by Thursday
morning.
Repository: Open at the back of
church after each weekend Mass
St Marie’s Hall: All bookings for hall
usage should be made in advance
with the Parish Office during the
parish office hours.
Liverpool Roman Catholic Archdiocesan Trustees
Incorporated. A registered charity. Number 232709.
This weekend:
World Mission Sunday 2014.
Second collection at all Masses for
APF World Missions. To gift aid your
donation, please use the envelope
provided in the offertory envelope
box, or use the envelopes available at
the back of Church.
Sunday after 11.00 am Mass: Tea
and coffee in the Hall.
Sunday: Ecumenical Songs of
Praise at Shevington Methodist
Church at 3.00 pm.
This week:
Monday: Prayer Group in St Marie’s
Hall at 7.30 pm. All welcome.
Next weekend:
Saturday: ACTA National
Conference at Liverpool Hope
University, 10.30 am – 4.30 pm. To
register visit: acalltoaction.org.uk.
Sunday after 11.00 am Mass: Tea
and coffee in the Hall.
Thank you for your offerings
£1,542.89.
Bonus Ball
No.18 - S Foster - £17.
New to the Parish?
You’re very welcome.
Come and say hello!
St Marie’s Sanctuary Lamp
Silver Wedding Anniversary.
This week, we have said
farewell to
William Makinson
Until we meet again....
Coffee Morning
Thank you to all who supported the
coffee morning, which raised £186.30
for the pre-school project in
Hambantota in Sri Lanka.
The Brick food bank
Due to the increased demand on the
distribution of food parcels, which
now exceeds over 200 per week, the
food bank is finding it extremely
difficult to provide items for a
substantial meal, such as breakfast
cereals, tinned meats, tinned
vegetables and tinned fish. Biscuits
for children and tea and coffee are
also needed. Food items can be left in
the porch at either Church. Your
support is vital and appreciated.
Golden Anniversary
As part of the 50th Anniversary
celebrations at St Bernadette’s next
year, the parish aims to compile a
booklet to mark this special event. If
any parishioner is willing to share any
memories, photographs etc. with the
parish, please contact Steve Grimes,
426090. Thank you.
If you have any other ideas on how
we might mark this event, there is a
suggestion box on the table at the
back of St Bernadette’s. Archbishop
Malcom McMahon will celebrate
Mass for the anniversary on Sunday,
22 February at 9.30am.
Youth Conference
A youth conference aimed at 16 -25
year olds, but open to all ages, takes
place in the Metropolitan Cathedral of
Christ the King, Liverpool on
Saturday, 1 November. For more
information, call 0151 440 2015 or
visit www.embrace-liverpool.org.uk.
Christmas Draw
Tickets for the Christmas Draw are
on sale at St Bernadette's Church, £1
for a book of two or 50p each. Please
take some away with you to sell.
Donations of prizes can be brought to
St Bernadette's Church at Mass times.
zeal for carrying the Gospel into all
the world.
Charity Concert
The Knights St Columba have
arranged a charity concert, featuring
local group 'Chonkinfeckle' (local
songs, stories and humour) at the
Unity Club, Standish on Friday
7 November at 8.00 pm. Tickets £5
available from John Melarkey 01942
244030, Tommy Dickens, 404038,
Tom Hatton, 400308 or any KSC
member. All proceeds to 'Mary's
Meals' charity.
Thursday Club
The Thursday Club is looking for
new members, aged 60 years and
over. The club meets St Marie’s Hall
from 1.00 pm until 3.30 pm for a chat
and games of dominoes and bingo.
There is occasionally a hot meal to
celebrate a birthday. Ring and Ride is
available. Additional helpers also
welcome. Contact Bernie, 422225.
Holy Rosary
Thank you to all who supported the
harvest bingo, which raised £160.40
for The Wigan & Leigh Deaf
Children’s Society.
The Rosary will be prayed in St
Marie's church after the evening Mass
each Tuesday during October, to
which all parishioners are invited. If
anyone would like to lead the Rosary,
please contact Father John.
Bereavement Mass
Fundraising Group
The next Bereavement Mass will be
held at St Marie’s on Friday, 7
November at 9.15 am, followed by tea
& coffee. Members of the
Bereavement Support Group will be
present to listen, offer support and
practical advice to those who have
suffered loss. There will be a
Remembrance Mass at St Marie’s on
Tuesday, 4 November at 7.00 pm.
There will be a meeting in St
Bernadette's Church on Tuesday, 18
November at 7:30 pm to discuss
arrangements for the spring 2015
concert.
Harvest Bingo
Getting Married?
Are you planning to get married in
the Catholic Church either here in this
country or abroad? If so, the
Archdiocese has prepared new
Marriage preparation leaflets, which
are available at the back of Church.
You can download either leaflet from
www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk/marriage.
Courses for 2015 will be available
from November 2014.
Something to pray about
We can join Pope Francis in his
prayer intentions for the month of
October:
General: That the Lord may grant
peace to those parts of the world most
battered by war and violence
Missionary: That World Mission
Day may rekindle in every believer
Baptisms
This weekend, we welcome new
members to our Catholic Church
community when George John Egan,
Harriet May Lewis and Lucy Marie
Rigbye are baptised during the 11.00
am Mass. Congratulations!
Dates for your diary
Monday, 3 November: 50th
anniversary meeting at St
Bernadette’s Church at 7.30 pm.