Fifth Sunday of the Year, 2022

St. Edmund of Canterbury & St. Thomas More

We crossed into a new millennium over twenty years ago and a new stage of the Church’s journey began. At the heart of this new adventure was the new evangelisation, a fresh, new and dynamic momentum to ‘put out into the deep’, or ‘Duc in Altum’. Peter and his fellow disciples trusted Jesus’ words and cast their nets, and, ‘When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.’

These words, ‘put out into the deep’, still ring out today, inviting us to remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence, because, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.’

To ‘put out into the deep is related primarily to evangelisation, of winning souls for Christ. Jesus is the goal of history and the One Saviour of the world. The Church and the Spirit cry out in unity, ‘Marantha’ or, ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. He is also the goal and purpose of our lives, and the limits test of faith is always: do you know Jesus Christ our Lord? For in knowing and loving him we can become strengthened in grace and desire to share this blessing with others.

We are called not to be afraid but to be fishers of men and women. We are called to understand the deep desires and longings of every human heart, but to do this we must first understand our own. We thirst to know the Living God. We cry out to show his mercy and forgiveness in such a way that the deep joy and happiness well up within.

The Spirit is the One who quenches thirst and brings new life. This is God’s merciful love which was made known in Christ. When we come to touch his goodness, kindness and compassion our hearts sing out: ‘O give thanks to the Lord for his is good; his steadfast love endures forever.’ We are ambassadors of God’s mercy, channels of his love, and witnesses of his goodness and kindness.

My Dear Friends in Christ, 5^th Sunday of the Year, 2022

This weekend we welcome back Seminarians from the Pontifical North American College. It’s been two years since the seminarians visited us regularly due to the Covid Pandemic. The four guys have been here for a few days visiting London and return on Sunday afternoon to Rome. Please extend them you usual warm hospitality. Also on Monday a Student Priest, Fr Kirby Rust will be visiting from Rome for a few days; once again please extend him your welcome!

Last weekend we sang at all of the Masses. It was so good to receive so much positive comment. The new hymn books are an updated version of Celebration for Everyone, and have over a thousand pieces of music, hymns, psalms, mass settings etc. It is good to get back to some semblance of normality once again and to be able to celebrate Mass in a normal manner, without excluding various parts of the Mass. The Holy Eucharist (The Mass), is the once occasions when we all gather together united in faith to celebrate the beauty of Jesus Christ’s love for us. And as he gives himself to us in Holy Communion our lives are transformed.

I would like to make an impassioned appeal to all those who have not yet returned to Holy Mass (if you are reading this newsletter) since the Pandemic; to think about your lives of faith, and to seriously ask yourselves do you still want to be a part of the Catholic Church? You are all probably well aware that many have not returned. Sadly, a lot of families have not been here for nearly two years. I was listening to a programme on Radio 4 the other day about how quickly a habit can become adopted in a person’s life. It stated that it takes approximately three months to get out of a regular habit; others have said 21 days. As stated, it’s nearly two years for some who have got out of the Catholic (habit) practice of faith at Sunday Mass. My genuine worry and concern is for children, and young adults, who may believe that it is no longer necessary to be part of a worshipping community. The decisions we make now in our lives have a long-term effect on the future, and more importantly, on our future eternal salvation. Please think about these issues!

VISITATION OF THE SICK & HOUSEBOUND: In the latest guidelines from the Bishops’ Conference we have now been given permission once again to resume our visitation of sick & housebound parishioners. If anyone would like a visit or receive Holy Communion at home, please contact Fr John.

Have a Blessed Week & Keep safe & well

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROGRAMME 2022: The class will be on Sunday 6^th January 2022. It is imperative that all the First Communion Children and their families are present each week at Sunday Mass. Please note that the next Parents’ Meeting will take place on Wednesday 9^th February at 7.30pm. Dr Paul Doherty will give the talk. The subject will be the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Please keep all of the children in your prayers as they continue their sacramental preparation

RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS We will next meet on Thursday 10^th February at the Presbytery. Theme: Eschatology – Study of the four last things; Death, Judement, Heaven & Hell. If you want to know more about the programme, and the whole RCIA process, please contact Fr John, Tel No: 0208 508 3492 or Email: loughton@dioceseofbrentwood.org

THRESHOLDS OF HOPE QUESTIONS: Will be given by Fr Martin Hardy, Parish Priest of St Thomas of Canterbury, Grays, on Sunday 6^th February, 4.00 – 5.00 p.m. Theme Question: What does it mean to talk about a woman as Mother of God and Mother of the Church? If you would like to join this Zoom meeting simply forward a contact email to adultformationvicariate@dioceseofbrentwood.org. For more information go to www.thresholdsofhope.co.uk

PARISH UNIFORM GROUPS: On Sunday 6^th February we will have a Parish Uniform Group Church Parade at the 11.00am Mass. I would like to thank all the Leaders who have helped to organise this. It will be wonderful to welcome back out Uniform Groups after a two year pause because to the Pandemic. Please encourage all the children in the groups to wear their uniforms. To bear witness to God and to Jesus Christ as young children and teenagers is truly a wonderful testament in the life of faith. The Uniform Groups has been going for over 70 years in our parish, which is incredible!

EPPING FOREST FOODBANK DONATIONS: Thank you to all parishioners who continue to generously donate items for the Foodbank. They are truly grateful for the generosity our parish has shown and our donations are still needed desperately as more and more people in our community are finding it hard to make ends meet. The Foodbank have asked for support with the following items: UHT milk, laundry powder and tablets, tinned tomatoes, sponge puddings, cleaning spray / cloths, instant mash, toilet paper, chocolate bars, rice pudding and jam. Thank you! You can also keep up to date with the Foodbank news via their Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/EppingForestFoodbank/

MARRIAGES FOR 2022: If anyone is planning on getting married in 2022, please could you make contact with Fr. John at the beginning of January. For those getting married in the parish we normally ask for six months’ notice; for those getting married outside of the parish at least nine months’ notice. The documentation and preparation takes quite a long time and organising Marriage Preparation Courses through Marriage Care in the responsibility of the Couple. To avoid any disappointments, please make contact as soon as possible.

SPECIAL APPEAL TO ALL PARISHIONERS

DIFFERENT WAYS TO HELP YOUR PARISH: There are all sorts of ministries in the life of faith and the Church; please would you consider joining one of the following:-

Parish Readers: You may have thought it would be good to become a Reader at Holy Mass; please see Fr John if you’re interested.

The Parish Altar Society: has been running for over 70 years. This involves keeping the Church in pristine condition through cleaning and care. It’s always good to have more volunteers to go onto the Rota. E.g. there is the cleaning of the church, cleaning of windows, Cleaning of Sacristies, Cleaning of the Organ Loft, Care of Sanctuary, Washing of Altar Linens, Cleaning of the Brass; if you can help in any way whatsoever, please contact Fr John or Sharon Fitzmaurice.

Additional Catechists: Helping to teach the faith to our Children through Sacramental Preparation. Communicating the truths of faith to our little ones is really a wonderful ministry, and can be very rewarding spiritually to both child and Catechist alike. There is always need for further help with this very important ministry.

Altar Serving: We are always looking for new Altar Servers. Sadly, we lost a lot of our Severs during the Pandemic, who have decided not to return to weekly serving. If your child has made their First Holy Communion, and would like to serve please speak to Fr. John.

Joining the Choir or Contemporary Music Group: If you enjoy singing, or that you’re a musician, you may consider joining our Choir or the Contemporary Music Group. These two groups meet regularly for practice, and enrich our Sunday Liturgy.

Volunteer Gardeners for St Edmund’s Church grounds: We don’t have a lot of property at St Edmund’s, but if anyone has green fingers, and would like to help keep the front garden and hedges, shrubs and grounds tidy, I would be most grateful. Please call Fr. John. Tel No: 020 8508 3492

PLEASE CONSIDER THESE SUGGESTIONS; WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER ALMIGHTY GOD THROUGH OUR TALENTS.

DIARY JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2022

PLEASE PRAY FOR THOSE SICK IN OUR PARISH

Carmen Antaki, Margaret Baldwin, Evelyn Bearne, Karl Britz, Carlos Camacho, Jane Downs, Steve Dalgliesh, Pat Fenn, Veronica Godsave, Bernadette Hall, Ann Hawkes, Claire Howes, Jackie Ilines, Noel Johnson, Shaun Keel, Bridget Kinsella, Angela Long, Lilian Mothersole, John McKernan, Rosemary O’Rourke, Kathleen Pomeroy, Geraldine Taylor, Vera Taylor, Mary Witten, James Wright. And all our loved ones.

ANNIVERSARIES: Celia Rowe RIP, Patricia Gardner RIP, Eileen Bevan RIP. Please pray for all whose anniversaries occur at this time and for all of our deceased loved ones, Requiescant in Pace.

WEEKLY OFFERTORY: My sincere thanks to those who are making their weekly contribution of Gift Aid envelopes and through the banking system that has been set up through the Diocese whereby your Offertory can be paid directly into the Parish Account, details below:

Donate

Or you can use Parish Bank Account: Using Online Banking
HSBC Sort Code 40-13-22 PLEASE BE GENEROUS IN YOUR
Account Number: 11019651 GIFT TO GOD & HIS CHURCH

SPECIAL APPEAL To all our parishioners who contribute to your parish weekly. Would you please consider to transferring your weekly offertory over to a Direct Debit. With the closing of the local HSBC Bank it has been quite difficult paying in the Offertory, and with many banks now only offering a machine deposit service. Please think about this request. Thank you!

Bishop’s Certificate in Catechesis and Youth Ministry: The Bishop’s Certificate is designed to be an entry level qualification to help in the ongoing formation of adults involved in sacramental preparation or youth ministry in the Diocese of Brentwood. It includes both the development of practical skills & the deepening of theological knowledge. The course is online and taught through engaging, short videos with expert interviews. The course will begin on the evening of 24th February, with an introduction and welcome evening, held at Walsingham House at Abbotswick. For more information please see our website: https://bcys.net/bishops-cert/ or email your expression of interest to bishopscertificate@dioceseofbrentwood.org by Monday 22^nd February.

BE PART OF THE WALSINGHAM HOUSE TEAM 2022/23

If you are 18+ and looking for an exciting gap year opportunity, then a year on the Walsingham House Team could be for you. Spend a year as a volunteer in a thriving young Catholic Community, working with thousands of young people from Essex and East London. We are looking for inspiring individuals who want to share their faith with other young people and are also looking to learn new skills, grow deeper in their own faith and enjoy a challenge. For more information please contact Joseph Beattie, manager of Walsingham House, by emailing josephbeattie@dioceseofbrentwood.org or calling 01277 373959. There is more information about our work on our website (www.bcys.net) and social media @Brentwoodcys

A SUNDAY EVENING PARISH YOUTH MASS: We’ve had a couple of these popular and enjoyable Masses over the past few years and hopefully we’ll be able to organise one, possibly in the New Year. The idea would be that you could get involved with the music and the readings and make it your own celebration. Hopefully, we will also have a social gathering in the hall afterwards

BCYS SUMMER LOURDES PILGRIMAGE: 2022: 23^rd – 30^th July 2022.

Applications are now open for our summer pilgrimage to Lourdes for those in Years 11-13, with those of school leaver age (18+) invited to join us as young leaders. This is one of our most popular events and after a 2 year gap we are excited to be returning next year. The week is spent travelling alongside the main Diocesan pilgrimage as we assist the elderly and infirm with going to Masses and services, as well as visiting shops and cafes within the town. For those travelling with the BCYS the week will also include a retreat, reconciliation service, as well as social events and a party. Please see www.bcys.net/events/sl22/ for more information including visas, vaccinations and how to apply

WHAT IS A MASS INTENTION?: Anyone can request a Mass intention. They can be offered for all occasions: – For someone who has recently passed away; Anniversary of a death, Birthdays, for someone who is sick, A person’s feast day, Private & special intentions, for success in exams or an interview, the beginning of a new school year. Etc. Their origin goes back to medieval times, when people would make a request for a Mass and as an offering would provide the priest with his daily allowance. So the Mass Stipend (the offering given) was to keep the priest for a day. If anyone would like to Book a Mass Intention, there are Mass envelopes in the porch of the church, complete the Intention and place your offering inside, and leave at the Presbytery. The priest will try to accommodate your request as soon as possible. For anniversary Masses, please ensure that you drop your Mass Intention Envelope off several weeks in advance, as many people book their anniversary masses at the beginning of the year. This saves any disappointment if a particular date has already been requested.

IRREGULAR MARRIAGES: An Irregualr Marriage is one that has taken place outside of the Catholic Church without dispensation. For example: Marriages in hotels, and secualr venues, on beaches or Las Vegas; marriage in a non-Catholic Church without dispensation from the Bishop. These marriages are not recognised by the Catholic Church, and therefore are non sacramental & irregular. But there is a facility in the Church to recetify these situations called a Convalidation (this is a strictly private facility that is offered by the church). As marriage and family life is what I specialised in while studying Canon Law, if anyone wishes to speak to me confidentially please don’t hesitate to contact me: Tel No: 0208 508 3492

PARISH FINANCES: As you can appreciate, during this pandemic the parish income took a severe hit, and we are still not back at the same levels as we were prior to 2020. My sincere and grateful thanks to those who have signed up for online giving and Gift Aid, this is helping. Many parishioners have not returned to the regular practice of faith, and many Gift Aid boxes were not collected this year. Please consider your weekly offertory to God.

DIOCESAN YEAR BOOK: Is now available for purchase from the Parish Repository. It cost £2.80. It really is worth investing in a Yearbook, as it gives all the latest details of parishes, priests’ addresses, statistics, general information about the Catholic Faith and the Church. PLEASE BUY ONE! Available in the Porch.

MASS INTENTIONS – FEBRUARY 2022

Sat 5^th	10.00am	Peter Smith RIP (Paul Falco)
		*Vigil Mass for Sunday. Confessions at 5.30pm*
Sat 5^th	6.00pm	David Faud RIP (1^st Anni) (Teresa Faud & Family)
Sun 6^th	9.00am	Dennis Randall RIP (Daly Family)
Sun 6^th	11:00am	Alois Slisz RIP (Stefan Slisz)
Mon 7^th	10.00am	Pat O’Donoghue RIP (G O’Donoghue)
Tues 8^th February	10.00am	Alan & Doreen Wiltshire RIP (The Smith family)
Wed 9^th	10.00am	Beryl Walsh RIP (Eddie & Mary Pointer)
Thurs 10^th	10.00am	Grace Skinner’s Int’s (John O’Rourke)
Fri 11^th	10.00am	Mary Walstow RIP (Frank Westcott)
Sat 12^th	10.00am	Sarah McQuade RIP (Margaret Duffy)
		*Vigil Mass for Sunday. Confessions at 5.30pm*
Sat 12^th	6.00pm	David Faud RIP (Faud & Murphy Families)
Sun 13^th	9.00am	Eileen Lee 90^th B’day Int’s. (Bridget Kinsella)
Sun 13^th	11:00am	Ellen Manley RIP (Manley Family)

Please kindly be patient with your mass requests. I will try to accommodate your requested dates, but there have been a large number of requests recently and we celebrate masses in the order in which we receive them.

Parish Phone No: 0208 508 3492 Email: loughton@dioceseofbrentwood.org

The Brentwood Diocesan Trust Registered Charity No. 234092

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading : Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings.

And they cried out to one another in this way,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.

His glory fills the whole earth.’

The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:

‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost,

for I am a man of unclean lips

and I live among a people of unclean lips,

and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:

‘See now, this has touched your lips,

your sin is taken away,

your iniquity is purged.’

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:

‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’

I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’

Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 137(138):1-5,7-8