Catholic Church of St Theodore of Canterbury 110 Station Road Hampton­upon­Thames Middlesex TW12 2AS Tel: 020 8979 3596 Fax: 020 8979 8854 Email: rchampton@btopenworld.com Website: www.sainttheodores.org Parish Priest: Fr. Bernard Boylan Parish Sister: Sr. Victoria Tel: 020 8255 4997 Parish Centre: Kathleen Wren Tel: 020 8941 0444 Child Protection Representative: Dermot Lynch: 020 8979 1155 PALM SUNDAY
16TH March 2008
CALENDAR
Holy week
Gospel Reflection
Remember With Passion
Today we recall the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
and we hear again the story of the Passion. But as
we stand in church waving our palms and reading
our Mass books, we have to be aware that we are
doing more than just re-reading a two thousand
year old story. What point is there in simply
remembering a sequence of events? There is only
a point in remembering Jesus’ Passion if it truly
impacts on our twenty first century lives.
We don’t need to have been around at the time to
imagine how it must have felt to be a part of the
crowd that greeted Jesus as he rode into
Jerusalem. We know what it’s like to be swept
along with a crowd. We know how we can be brave
as part of a crowd… infallible even. We remember
the crowd that supported Jesus so enthusiastically
at the beginning of the week and how it
mysteriously melted away by the end, to be
replaced by a different crowd shouting for his
crucifixion. Are we any better than those original
supporters? Can we stand up for Jesus as
individuals when the going gets tough?
We remember Jesus’ journey from Palm Sunday to
Good Friday. We remember that it’s a journey he
made with no hint of compromise. How easy it
would have been for Jesus to have bypassed
Jerusalem altogether and lived out his life in
seclusion as some wise old guru. This of course
was not Jesus’ style and neither should it be ours.
There is no room in Christianity for compromise.
We remember the death of Jesus as a supreme
act of love. Jesus taught that we were worth all
that pain and suffering. How do we live our lives
from this day on knowing that Jesus considered us
worth his ultimate sacrifice? HOLY SATURDAY THE EASTER VIGIL SERVICE – 8.00pm This is the night when Jesus passes from death to life. This is the night when we celebrate light, salvation, and renewal of baptismal promises. On this night we are challenged to bring light to a world still darkened by disbelief. The vigil opens with a service of light. The lighting of the fire and of the Easter candle go back to rites that long precedes Christianity. The candle, carried with loving reverence and lyrically praised in word and song, is a sign of Christ 'the light of the world,' and celebrates the victory of light over darkness. Holy Saturday, or the 'Easter Vigil', is the close of the season of Lent and penance and the beginning of paschal time, which is one of rejoicing.
Penitential services
· On Tuesday Evening (8.00pm) this week there will be a short Lenten Penitential Service in the church with Father Stephen Beale FDP as confessor. · There will be an all­day penitential period on Wednesday when confessions are heard at St. Francis de Sales from after morning mass (10.30am approx) to 8.00pm. The three resident priests will be the alternate confessors
M A S S T I M E S Sunday Masses Weekday Masses Holy Days of Obligation Eucharistic Devotions Confessions Baptisms Public Rosary 6.30pm (Sat.) 8.30am 10.30am 5.00pm Mon, Thurs & Fri. 9.30am Wed. 7.30pm 9.30am & 7.30pm Thurs. after 9.30am Mass (9.55 – 10.25am) Saturday 10.00 – 1030 am 5.45 – 6.15pm By appointment Wednesday Evening at 7.00pm NOTE: If you should go into hospital it is important that Note: you inform the chaplain If you should go into hospital yourself or ask a relative or it is important that you inform friend to do so if you wish to the hospital chaplain yourself receive the chaplain’s visit or ask a relative or friend to do R.C. Chaplain at: so if you wish to receive a visit West Midd. 0797900 6432 whilst you are in hospital. Kingston Hosp. 8942 2178 Chaplain at Kingston Hospital Ashford. 8942 2178 HOLY WEEK AND EASTER 2008 Times of ceremonies and services of Holy Week & Easter at St. Theodore’s are as on the sheet attached to this newsletter, on sheets available in the Church and as to be seen on our Website. (Address overleaf) GOOD FRIDAY ECUMENICAL SERVICE This year's ecumenical service at 11am outside Sainsbury’s will take the form of Children's Stations of the Cross led by Deacon Duncan with children and young people from the parish. This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth TO THE EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS We would be greatly obliged if our Eucharistic Ministers could please attend the Evening Mass on LENTEN ALMS Thursday to receive a renewal of their commissioning. The contents of the box on the table at the back of Fr. Boylan the Church will be counted after this weekend. HOLY WEEK & EASTER – ROTAS Could all Readers and Eucharistic Ministers please fill in the rota in the porch indicating which services they will be attending in the coming week. B. Hannigan THE LIVING STONES TRUST Deacon Duncan expresses his sincerest gratitude for the collection given him for the Trust and in support of its work in Israel and Palestine. The collection taken up on Laetare Sunday eventually totaled £550.00 CHURCH CLEANING ROTA There is a need to make another appeal for a team of 2 ladies for church cleaning. It is light work every 10 weeks approximately for one hour or so to keep God’s house neat and tidy. If interested please ring Christiane Naylor on 0208 941 1179 Thank you. C.N. PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES The Pilgrimage from 9­13 June is still booking. If you wish to come please write your name and contact details on the sheet in the porch. nd Rotas for the week until The Word The Eucharist Vigil Service EASTER EASTER TESCO & SAINSBURY'S VOUCHERS I am again collecting vouchers for Knightsfield School for deaf children. Please place any vouchers you collect in the box under the repository cabinet. Siobhan Wren POLISH MASS AT HEATHROW AIRPORT Mass is offered in Polish at the St. George’s Chapel, near to Terminal 2, at 10.30am every Sunday. Fr. Jaroslav Jubiak is the regular celebrant The Sons of Divine Providence: founded by St Luigi Orione ­ have vacancies in their residential care home for the elderly in Hampton Wick. Further information from the Manager Lydia Davis 020 8977 0754. L’VOV + UKRAINE
Join former L’Vov resident, Fr. Dwayne Bednar in
this City of 4 Cathedrals.
4­10 May 2008.
See Noticeboard for all details
rd 22 / 23 March 2008 (Easter) 8.30am 10.30am WEEKEND EASTER WEEKEND EASTER Offertory Collection Counters A Blake / T Roberts Church Cleaning Mrs Buckley / Mrs Lowney Church Flowers: Flower Team Sunday Catechists E A S T E R D A Y Newsletter Editor: All notices please by Thurs. 8.00pm Newsletter Printer: Bill Bolsover 5.00pm WEEKEND WEEKEND