3rd Sunday of Lent (a)

3rd  Sunday of Lent. (a)

Times of Mass and Confession:

Sundays:                      Vigil Mass (Saturday) 6.00 p.m. & 10.00 a.m.

Weekday:                  

9.00 a.m. (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

7.00 p.m. (Monday) – note day and time change

10.00 a.m. (Saturday)

Confessions:

After Mass on Saturday morning.

 

Please remember the following parishioners, relatives and friends in your prayers:

Sick: John McPartland, Veronica Allan, Irene Callan, Elizabeth Brown, Patricia Allison, Bridget Ferry.

Died: Tommy McElroy, John Kiely.

Anniv: Charles Mulholland, Henry Livingston.

 

Today: Aged and Infirm Clergy Fund Special Collection – The following is a letter from the Archdiocesan Director of Finance.Last year we asked for your assistance in meeting the additional funding requirements of the Aged and Infirm Clergy Fund (AICF) by contributing to an additional collection as well as the normal collection taken in September each year. I am pleased to report that these collections in 2016 raised an amount of £112,000 which, after we make our gift aid claim, I anticipate will reach an amount of over £125,000 — three times the amount collected in 2015. This is a great response and we thank you for contributing so generously to this request as it enables us to meet the increasing costs of providing retirement allowances, accommodation and support to priests in their retirement, and helps also to build up the funds that will be used to support retired priests in the future.

Today: Lists are available at the back of the Church for readers, Eucharistic ministers, Passkeepers, helpers in the hall for the refreshments after the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses to indicate their availability.

The list for Altar Servers is in the sacristy.

Sunday: The Coffee Morning in the Hall after Mass is being organized by the Noisy Nutters group this weekend. Why not pop round to try the bacon rolls etc, and meet fellow parishioners ?

The monthly draw for the 200 Club will also take place in the Hall.

Sunday: Fundraising Afternoon Tea between 2.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. in St Cuthbert’s Church Hall in aid of Cancer Research And Make a Wish Foundation. Tickets priced, £10.00, are available from contact people mentioned on the poster at the back of the Church.

Monday: Please note that there is no Mass in the morning but it is at 7.00 p.m. to give those who cannot manage to Mass during the day an opportunity to come to Mass on a weekday during Lent.

Monday: The Archbishop Romero centenary will be marked at 7.30 p.m. in the Sacred Heart with a lecture called ‘The Secret of RomeroPassion for God and Compassion for the Poor.’ It will be given by Sister Martha Zechmeister SJ Professor of Systematic Theology, El Salvador.  All are welcome. Admission by donation.

Next Saturday/Sunday there will be a retiral collection for Papal & Episcopal Charities which includes SCIAF, then we have a breather !

The Parish Project: At a recent meeting of the joint Parish Councils it was agreed that the local charity would be Streetwise, a charity based in Edinburgh which has a very hands on approach to working with the homeless here.  The foreign one is for a project in North Eastern Nigeria where the local people have been attacked, killed and property destroyed by the Boko Haran  In particular they kidnap girls and stop any effort to educate the.  This will be done through Aid to the Church in Need who are active in this area. More details will be forthcoming in due course and hopefully we will have speakers at Mass in the near future. So looking forward any individual or group can fundraise to support these beneficiaries.  Events can be advertised in the bulletin.  The project will run for the next two years until Easter 2019 so in a very real sense over to you.

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A Letter of Thanks has been received from Michael Willis of Aid to the Church in Need who spoke at Mass recently. In it he says, ‘I received such a pleasant and kind reception from the parishioners. Can you please thank them for their generosity and prayers?’    The collection raised £1187 and from the Gift Aid envelopes used in both St. Cuthbert’s and Our Lady’s a further £185.00 will be collected.

 

The Gift Aid Envelopes for the new tax year are available from the sacristy after Mass. These are for Parishioners who kindly Gift Aid their offering so that a tax reclaim can be made. Last tax years this came to £9034.11. They come into effect on 9th April after which any remaining envelopes in your box should not be used and should be destroyed. If you are paying Tax, please consider gift aiding your offering.

The envelopes for non-Gift Aid contributors will be available after Mass next Sunday.

 

With every best wish and Blessing

To you, your families

and those who are dear to you

Monsignor Tony