Newsletter 8th May

NEWSLETTER 8TH MAY 2016

Masses this weekend

Masses next weekend

Reconciliation (Confession)

SICK/HOUSEBOUND VISITS – requests for visits and for Holy Communion in the Lingfield area – contact Deacon Ted.

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT – “Exposition takes place every Friday morning at Our Lady & St Peter’s between 09:00-1:00pm. Come let us adore Him.”

REFRESHMENTS – Everybody is cordially invited for refreshments after Sunday Mass at both St Bernard’s and Our Lady & St Peter’s churches.

WILLS & BEQUESTS – The Parish has benefited greatly in the past from the thoughtfulness of parishioners who have nominated the parish to receive funds from their estate. Please consider it.

GIFT AID OFFERINGS/DONATIONS – can be taken out at anytime throughout the year. It is a valuable source of additional income for the parish with no extra cost to the parishioners.

2^ND COLLECTION TODAY  – for Catholic Communications Network.  Can be gift-aided using the envelopes.

FUNERAL  –  Peter McKay RIP.  Tuesday 12.30 OLSP.

Justice and Peace Group meet – at 7.30pm on Tuesday 10 May 7 at Moat UR Church.  All welcome.  Advance notice – Street collection and annual Sleep Out on Saturday 25 June on aid of Crawley Open House, The Easter Team and Worthing Churches Homeless Project.  Anyone wishing to take part/help out please contact Sue Joy.EG 835190.  Sponsors will be sought at the end of May onwards.  Refugee Crisis Newsletter – copies of this very informative Diocesan publication featuring Bishop Richard are available from both churches from this w/e. Very relevant reading in this Year of Mercy.

BAPTISM  –  Saturday 3pm OLSP:  Rosale Berenice Patricia Skinner.

NEXT SUNDAY  – Pentecost, and 1^st Holy Communion children receive their medals.

THANK YOU – for you generosity to the recent special collection for The Ukraine which raised £971.  The Lourdes Lenten boxes have raised £1,190 to date and if you are still holding a box, please will you bring it to the sacristy at St Bernard’s or OL&StP  as soon as possible now.

OUR LADY & ST PETERS SVP – wish to say ‘Thank You’ for the cash donation to buy food for Crawley and the Food Bank also to St Bernard’s Lingfield for their large collection of Foreign/English coins and notes, we will continue our collection of Foreign currency throughout the summer months. The SVP Society meet twice a month for Infor. Contact P.Wells 811543.

PARISH 100 CLUB  –  Congratulations to winners in the April draw of the 100 Club: 1^st, £50, no. 28, Mrs Burgess; 2^nd, £25, no. 6, Mr & Mrs Pentney; 3^rd, £15, no. 79, Mr Daszewski. With thanks to two new members recently, all memberships are currently taken.

Catholic Women’s League will meet  – on Wednesday 11th May 6:15 for 6:30 in THE CHURCH for the Rosary. We will then go to the parish centre for business and a service to mark WUCWO day. (World Union of Catholic Womens Organisations).  There will be a BRING and BUY.

The funeral of Mary Stradling   –  will be held at St. John the Baptist Church, Dale Road, Purley, on Friday, 13th May, at 10 a.m.

“The next Traidcraft sale  – will be the weekend of 14th/15th May after both masses. Any special orders to Mike and Tina on [email protected] or 311435.  Or Chris and Margaret Vasey on 834436 or [email protected] ”

STOP THE GENOCIDE CAMPAIGN  –  For the international community to adequately respond to the tragedy unfolding in the Middle East it must first accept the reality of what is taking place.  Having Islamic State’s crimes accepted as genocide internationally is not just a matter of semantics.  Under the 1948 UN ‘Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide’ all 127 signatories would have a duty to take the necessary action to prevent further atrocities and punish the perpetrators.  Therefore if we are successful no nation will be able to claim that what is happening in Iraq and Syria is not their concern.  It will also mean that those guilty of committing these crimes may one day face justice in the international Criminal Court in the Hague.  Thousands of people have already added their name to the Stop the Genocide campaign, but if we want to see the UK Government position change it is crucial that thousands more add their voice.  Find out more and sign the petition today at stopthegenocide.org.uk  There is also a form for signing the petition at the back of the church.

PARISH MAGAZINE  – We are planning to have an issue of the Magazine before the school holidays – that is, early July – so we will need contributions by the end of June. News from parish organizations, societies, clubs, etc., articles related in some way to the history of our parish or to the church in general, descriptions of pilgrimages, etc., as well as other contributions, poems, etc. are all very welcome.   Also, please be sure to let me know if any of the entries for Parish Organizations on the inside back cover need to be changed (names, telephone numbers, times or places of meetings). If a group has a presence online (webpage, Facebook, twitter…), then you may wish to give a link to that there as well.   Submissions can be emailed to me at [email protected]   Alternatively, contributions can be addressed to Klara King and left on the table at the back of the church.

 “Christian Aid Week Charity Collection Sun 15^th to Sat 21^st May  –  Volunteers needed please, to deliver envelopes to houses in some local East Grinstead roads and to collect peoples’ donations in them later in that week. 22 volunteers needed (we had too few last year, so new volunteers needed as well as repeat volunteers please).  Lots of the roads have under 20 houses to call at.  Please sign up on the list of roads at the back of Church. Location of roads shown on a map. Further details available from Mike Hope 01342 322560.”

OUR LADY & ST. PETERS LUNCH CLUB  – meet for Lunch on Wednesday 18th May.  Fr. Steven will say an Anointing Mass at 11.30 am followed by lunch at 12.30 pm.  At 2 pm a group of Hand Bell Ringers are performing in the Church this concert is open to the Parish everyone welcome.

Please support the “Don’t Screen Us Out” Campaign  –  Proposals to introduce a new pre-natal screening test that is projected to lead to a profound reduction in birth numbers of people with Down syndrome are currently being considered by the government.  Please see briefing papers in church and contact your MP to object.  Alternatively, view website  http://dontscreenusout.org

Cake & Plants Sale  –  The Gospel of Life Group’s cake and plant sale takes place at OLSP after mass on the weekend of  21/22 May.  All proceeds will go to a supported housing project for young Downs Syndrome people in Brighton.   As the Group of Life Group is small in number, donations of plants and cakes are particularly welcome, if we are to raise a reasonable sum of money for this cause.  If you would like to donate please contact Les Whittaker on 315484  or at [email protected].

CONFIRMATION  CARPARKING  –  Confirmation is on the 22^nd May at Worth Abbey.  We need more volunteers to help with the carparking from 1- 3.30pm.  If you can help (and we are desperate!) Please contact Ruth Longley or Fr. Steven.

INDEPENDENT WHEELCHAIR ACCESS TAXI –  (7 Seater) available at your door step anytime.  Contact  –  Me.  Sunny Joseph.  Mob:  07481107832/07908494532.

For Sale  – 1) Guest folding bed with mattress, single size.(hardly used), 2) Tempera type single mattress (hardly used)  A donation to the church for either item. Contact Sue Wade 317246.

 ‘OUR LADY OF THE FOREST’ FOREST ROW  –  On closure of the church, most of the furnishings from this much loved place of prayer and worship were sent in our shipments to the diocese of Yendi in northern Ghana.  These items were most gratefully received by Bishop Vincent Boi-Nai and have been used to furnish village churches.  The statue of ‘Our Lady of the Forest’ which was particularly loved by the parishioners at Forest Row, was more recently sent to Kumasi Archdiocese.

Archbishop Gabriel Anokye has let us know that the statue has now been received into his care and he has allocated it to the ‘Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish’ in Kwadaso-Kumasi, a parish that has a special devotion to Our Lady and that also has a Grotto.  The Archbishop has been informed as to the history of ‘Our Lady of the Forest’, including the visit of President Kennedy to the church in 1963.  The Archbishop understands the importance to the parishioners of this now closed church to know where this statue has been located, particularly as some members of our parishes have links to the diocese of Kumasi and have asked for the above information so they can visit her.

The parish priest of ‘Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish’ Fr Dennis Barima has written to us to confirm that the statue is now safely in his parish and mentions that it could not have arrived at a better time.  He assures us that ‘It is our belief therefore that together we will pray for each other as we promote devotion to our Blessed Mother’.

Lisa de Quay  For Crown of Thorns