St. Edmund of Canterbury & St. Thomas More
Sex grabs our attention. It also sells most things: magazines, newspapers, cars, boats, jewellery, – you name it; sexual imagery is used to promote it and persuade us to buy it. And it’s not just aimed at men, but women just as much. We’re sexual beings and sexuality, let’s be honest, plays an integral part of our lives. There is, however, a notion that Christians are easily scandalised and shocked by all things sexual, and indignant towards those who fall from grace in this area.
The idea of the religious prude is firmly stuck in literature and culture. Interestingly, the early manuscripts of St John’s Gospel don’t carry today’s incident of the woman caught in adultery. It’s missing from our oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts and seems to have been unknown to the early Greek Fathers, since they didn’t comment on it. The earliest specific reference to it is found in the third-century writing on Church discipline called Didascalia.
Why this happened we cannot be sure. Some scholars believe that it reads incredibly like a Lucan narrative. Dealing as it does with sin and mercy – and with a woman! Others suggest that Jesus’ response was so shocking, the forgiveness so radical, his compassion and mercy so scandalous, that it was thought best to remove it from the canon altogether.
Interestingly, St Jerome tried to have the Song of Songs removed from Scripture because of the danger of erotic interpretation of what is in essence a love song and allegory for Christ’s love for his bride, the Church. Thankfully, common sense prevailed for both these events, and we revere them as Sacred Scripture, divinely inspired and given to teach us the way of salvation. In his encounter with the woman caught in adultery Jesus is full of compassion, kindness and mercy but also firm and clear that she must strive with all her heart and soul not to sin in this way.
“Has no one condemned you?” “No one sir!”
“Neither do I condemn you, go away and sin no more!”
My Dear Friends in Christ, 5th Sunday of Lent 2022
Today marks the beginning of Passiontide. You will notice that all of the Statues and Crucifix have been covered with Lenten Purple. It is where we start to prepare earnestly to enter into our Holy Week – the greatest week of the church’s liturgical year. Manifestly, Lent has been a time of Prayer, Fasting and Works of Charity. But it is also penitential, meaning that each one of us is trying to rid ourselves of the of sin, and the barriers that can often create divisions between ourselves and Almighty God. Jesus gave us a Sacrament to assist and help us in this area of human frailty within our lives. Like the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Father is always looking out for his son; – God is looking out for us also. He sees us while we are still ‘long way off’, and he runs to meet us with joy and love, and merciful forgiveness. There is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner.
PARISH LENTEN PENITENTIAL SERVICE: Traditionally, part of our spiritual preparation for Easter would be to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This year on Tuesday 12th April we will have our Penance Service at 8.00pm. There will be visiting priests to help celebrate the Sacrament of Confession; also a Polish priest to accommodate our Polish parishioners. Please can I appeal to all of our parishioners to make a very special effort this year and join us for the Penance Service and receive God’s merciful and loving forgiveness! There is no greater feeling than to be free from the burdens of sin. Unfortunately due to Covid over the past two years we missed out on our Penance Service. Even more reason this year to celebrate the Sacrament.
NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS: It is my real joy to welcome back once again Deacons and Seminarians from the Pontifical North American College who will be with us for Palm Sunday weekend, Holy Week & Easter. There will be ten students during that period, not all at the same time, but we will have six with us for the Triduum & Easter. You are always so kind to them when they’re here. Can I make an appeal to your generosity? My housekeeper is truly wonderful feeding these boys; but could I ask for some desserts. My experience through the years is that they all love desserts, especially home-made desserts, apple pies, trifles, etc. also as you can appreciate they like a drink as well; if anyone has any spare bottles of Whiskey, Gin or Port, it would not be wasted. I hope you don’t mind me asking! Thanking you in anticipation.
May God Bless You All,
AID FOR UKRAINE: We have begun Lent this year conscious of the unspeakable acts of terror in the Ukraine. Our brothers and sisters there are experiencing terrible suffering as they struggle to defend their country and preserve their human rights and life itself. We are doing what we can from afar: assisting by the charity of our prayers and also with what practical means we can muster. Aid to the Church in Need is on the frontline of charitable assistance to Ukrainians. If you can help, you will find this link takes you to the ACN website where you can donate: https://acnuk.org/news/ukraine-charity-rolls-out-emergency-aid/
HELPING THOSE IN UKRAINE & UKRAINIAN REFUGEES: Caritas Brentwood are regularly updating information on their website, covering donations, prayer and welcoming those who are fleeing the Ukraine. You will find everything at: http//www.caritasbrentwood.org/Ukraine/
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: Fr John’s Fortieth Anniversary of Ordination. Friday 8th July 2022. As this was unable to take place last year, due to the Pandemic. It has been rescheduled to this year, with concelebrated Mass with Bishop Alan, Priests of the Diocese, Family & Visitors from all over the world, and of course, My Parish Family here at St. Edmund’s. My thanks to those who have volunteered and agreed to help. Planning Meeting Wednesday 6th April at 7.30pm in the Retreat. If anyone else wishes to join the meeting please just turn up.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC GROUP: We will be playing and singing at the 11am Mass on Sunday 3rd April, which will be the fifth Sunday of Lent. It would be good if many of our singers could be there – a great way to start Lent! Any parishioners who may consider joining us would be made very welcome. Simply come along. Also, we’d like to spend some more time in practicing, so we’d really appreciate you coming along early at about 10.10am before Mass. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you.
ARE YOU INTERSTED IN A VOCATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD? The next “Enquirers’ Evening” for those considering or interested in a vocation to the priesthood is on Tuesday 5th April at St Edmund of Canterbury Church in Loughton, at 7.00pm. The speaker will be Msgr Kevin Hale. For further information please contact Fr Mark Swires vocprom@dioceseofbrentwood.org
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. They will be running their initiative to support families with food over the Easter holidays and these are the items we can help them with: UHT milk, long-life juice, tinned tomatoes, tinned meat, rice pudding, custard, packet noodles, instant mash, tinned spaghetti, tinned fruit, breakfast bars/ snack bars, jam, chocolate spread, sponge puddings, chocolate bars, bottled sauces (Ketchup/brown sauce), small jars of coffee, toilet roll, laundry powder/tablets, razors, shampoo/conditioner and washing up liquid. You can also keep up to date with the Foodbank news via their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EppingForestFoodbank/
MASS INTENTIONS: Every day in the parish Holy Mass is offered for various intentions; these are usually at the request of you the parishioners. Most intentions are for deceased loved ones, anniversaries, etc. The origin of the Mass Stipend is very ancient, and goes back to making provision for the priest for one day, as they do not earn a salary as such. At present I only have about two weeks of Mass Intentions booked up. If any parishioner would like a mass intention for any occasion whatsoever, e.g. deceased, birthdays, anniversaries, sick, etc. please complete Mass Intention envelope in the Porch.
DIARY FEBRUARY – MARCH 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, Geraldine Taylor, Vera Taylor, Mary Witten, James Wright. And all our loved ones.
ANNIVERSARIES: Mary Harvey RIP, Peggy Davies 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:
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!
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.
PLEASE COLLECT YOUR GIFT AID BOXES THIS WEEKEND
STATIONS OF THE CROSS: The traditional devotion during the Lenten Season. I would encourage all our parishioners to attend the Stations of the Cross either on Fridays at 10.30am or Sundays at 5.00pm. This beautiful devotion follows the last journey made by Jesus on Good Friday to Calvary.
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS I commend to your prayers Neil MacKinnon & Mark Shelton who are at the final stages of preparation to be received into full communion in the Roman Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. If you want to know more about the RCIA (Journey of Faith) programme, please contact Fr John,
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Walsingham – 28th May 2022: Join Bishop Alan and other parishes around the Diocese of Brentwood in Walsingham as we celebrate the Year of the Family ‘Hearing and Doing the Word of God’. We will celebrate Mass at the Basilica before walking the Holy Mile to the grounds of Walsingham Abbey to celebrate Vespers and Benediction on the site of the Holy House. If you would like to come we would need to organise a Parish pilgrimage from the Church.
PARISH REPOSITORY: There is a lot of new stock in the repository. A variety of Candles – large and small. Greetings Cards for all occasions. Mass Cards for deceased. Children’s books about Lent. There are also a number of CTS little books in a special stand on all sorts of different issues, the saints etc. There are Statues, rosaries, medals, bracelets. A Variety of Easter Cards. Teresa Wallace is happy to order anything your request; it usually takes about a week to arrive.
BCYS YOUTH MASS: Thursday 7th April, Brentwood Cathedral. Come along from 6pm for pizza; FOLLOWED BY Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral for Lent, before Youth Mass starts at 7.30pm. Open to all those in years 9 and above, no booking necessary. (YOUTH MASS takes place on the First Thursday of every month and groups are always welcome! Please let us know in advance if you wish to bring a group, if you are able, so that we can have an idea how much pizza to order! Any groups are always welcome!)
BCYS SUMMER LOURDES PILGRIMAGE: 23rd – 30th July 2022. Assist pilgrims going to Masses and services, shops and cafes of the beautiful French town, join in social time together, take part in retreats, reconciliation service, visit the baths, the stunning mountain town of Gavarnie, enjoy social nights, party and experience the amazing Lourdes processions. The cost is £625 for the week, and is open to all those in school year 11 and above (funding and grant opportunities are available). For more information and to book you can visit www.bcys.net/events/sl22 – applications close Sunday 20th February
BCYS YOUTH GATHER: 22nd – 23rd October, Mersea Island. Stay in cabins and try a brilliant range of outward bound activities from climbing high ropes, archery, zip wires and much more to keep you challenged and entertained, with guest speakers and workshops which will give you fresh insights into yourself, and your faith, by telling their stories. Open to all those in years 9 and above, book NOW at www.bcys.net/events
BOOKING FOR ALL THESE EVENTS – and all information, can be done online at www.bcys.net/events or you can email me with any questions.
THE DIOCESAN LOURDES PILGRIMAGE: led by Bishop Alan, will take place from Sunday 24 – Friday 29 July in Lourdes. Brochures for the pilgrimage, which will include costs, will be available soon. For further information contact Cathy O’Connor: cathy@dioceseofbrentwood.org or 07813 710070.
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
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
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY LITURGY: Thank you for starting children’s Sunday Liturgy again. But we need more help. Parents, can you spare one Sunday every two months to help the children during the 11.00am Mass? We need more parents to join our lovely group. Please contact Mrs Elena Manara at e_vismara@yahoo.com Thank you and we hope to hear from you soon.
Class Teacher vacancy KS2/1/EYFS at St John Fisher, Loughton.
The Governors of St John Fisher Catholic Primary School wish to appoint an excellent, enthusiastic, and caring classroom teacher to join our successful team.Visits to the school are warmly welcomed and encouraged. The closing date for application is Closing date for Applications: 25th April 2022 with interviews 3rd April. Please email finance@st-johnfisher.essex.sch.uk or alternatively call 02085086135. For further details please visit https://www.st-johnfisher.essex.sch.uk/
MASS INTENTIONS – APRIL 2022
| Sat 2nd | 9.00am | John Dowd’s Int’s ((M Ryan) |
| Vigil Mass for Sunday. Confessions at 5.30pm | ||
| Sat 2nd | 6.00pm | People of the Parish |
| Sun 3rd | 9.00am | Catarina Frazoni RIP (Mrs M Cobelli) |
| Sun 3rd Lenten Devotions | 11:00am 5.00pm | James McLay RIP ((Monica Maycraft) Holy Hour / Stations of Cross / Benediction |
| Mon 4th | 12.15pm | Mary Harvey RIP (Anni) (Fr. John) |
| Tues 5th | 10.00am | Paul Croft RIP (Peter & Christine Burrowes) |
| Wed 6th | 10.00am 10.30am | Vera & Joe Duffy RIPHoly Hour |
| Thurs 7th | 10.00am | Peter Smith RIP (Paul Falco) |
| Fri 8th Lenten Devotions | 10.00am 10.30am | Michael Do Bosh Ints (Private) Holy Hour / With Stations of Cross |
| Sat 9th | 10.00am | Tony Ironside RIP (Margaret Duffy) |
| Vigil Mass for Sunday. Confessions at 5.30pm | ||
| Sat 9th | 6.00pm | People of the Parish |
| Sun 10th | 9.00am | Sheila Tremble RIP (Tremble Family) |
| Sun 10th LentenDevotions | 11:00am 5.00pm | Marcela Sanchez RIP (Bacani Family) Holy Hour / Stations of Cross / Benediction |
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 of Lent
First Reading : Isaiah 43:16-21
Thus says the Lord,
who made a way through the sea,
a path in the great waters;
who put chariots and horse in the field
and a powerful army
which lay there never to rise again,
snuffed out, put out like a wick:
No need to recall the past,
no need to think about what was done before.
See, I am doing a new deed,
even now it comes to light; can you not see it?
Yes, I am making a road in the wilderness,
paths in the wilds.
The wild beasts will honour me,
jackals and ostriches,
because I am putting water in the wilderness
(rivers in the wild)
to give my chosen people drink.
The people I have formed for myself
will sing my praises.
Responsive Psalm : Psalm 125(126)
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
The heathens themselves said: ‘What marvels
the Lord worked for them!’
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves.
What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.
Second Reading : Philippians 3:8-14
I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him. I am no longer trying for perfection by my own efforts, the perfection that comes from the Law, but I want only the perfection that comes through faith in Christ, and is from God and based on faith. All I want is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share his sufferings by reproducing the pattern of his death. That is the way I can hope to take my place in the resurrection of the dead. Not that I have become perfect yet: I have not yet won, but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus captured me. I can assure you my brothers, I am far from thinking that I have already won. All I can say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is still to come; I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us upwards to receive in Christ Jesus.
Gospel : John 8:1-11
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.
The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?’ They asked him this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and wrote on the ground again. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’
Lilies at Easter 2022
Every year at Easter we remember
our deceased loved one by decorating
the Church with White Lilies.
If you would like to have a stem of lilies placed in
the arrangements throughout the Easter Season,
in memory of a deceased loved one, relatives or friends.
Please complete this form below and return to the
Presbytery in an envelope by Maundy Thursday 14th
April 2022
…………………………………………………………………
St. Edmund of Canterbury: _________
Names: of those remembered: (Please print clearly)
……………………………… ………………………………
……………………………… ………………………………
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Amount enclosed £……………… Gift Aid No:……………..
From:……………………………………………………
ALL DONATIONS CAN BE GIFT AIDED
Please Use Your Spare Gift Aid Envelopes
St Edmund of Canterbury 