FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR A
SUNDAY: PARISH MASS at 10.00am (Live-streamed)
MONDAY: No Liturgy
TUESDAY: No Liturgy
WEDNESDAY: Feast of St Francis Xavier, early Jesuit missionary priest (1506-1551)
No Liturgy
THURSDAY: Feast of St Charles de Foucauld & St Alexander Bryant, priest-martyrs
School Mass with blessing of Advent Wreaths at 9.30am
Adoration at 11.30am Mass of the Feast at 12.00noon
FRIDAY: Feast of St Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury (died 1099)
Adoration at 11.30am Mass at 12.00noon
SATURDAY: Feast of St Nicholas of Myra (& Bari), Bishop (4th Century)
Adoration at 11.30am Mass at 12.00noon
Sacrament of Reconciliation: after Mass and 4.00-4.30pm
TODAY [1] We begin a new Liturgical Year with the First Sunday of Advent. We are on Cycle A – with the Gospels from St Matthew. Jesus calls us to be truly awake – awake to our world and its needs and crises; awake to those around us – family, friends, community; awake to the cries of the Earth, the cries of the poor! Awake to the ‘signs of the times’ and ready for action!
[2] The First Sunday of Advent is the ‘Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees’. This annual Day of Prayer was inaugurated by Pope Francis and could not be more timely in the light of the proposed legislation from the Home Office and how political leadership has betrayed our beloved refugee community by seeking to pass draconian and inhuman measures and restrictions.
[3] Meeting after 10.00am Mass for parents of children to be prepared for First Eucharist or First Reconciliation in 2025
NEXT SUNDAY [1] The Second Sunday of Advent celebrates that God sent John the Baptist ‘to prepare the Way of the Lord’, to open His People’s hearts to repentance, straightening our twisted ways so that the Christ of God could enter in and reign through love in our lives. Advent is a ‘penitential season’ (hence the purple vestments), a call to wake up to our need to change direction. Let us not be afraid to ‘change our ways’ so that we can walk in the Way of Christ, the Way of love and justice. And we are also called to be John the Baptist to others, calling our world, society, nation to ‘change its ways’ by listening to ‘the cries of the poor, the cries of the Earth’.
[2] Mass with the Catholic Handicapped Fellowship at 3.00pm – all are welcome.
[3] Retiring Collection for Poor Missions of the Dioccese – helping our poor parishes
PRAY FOR THIS WEEK’S PARISH MINISTRY OR MISSION We pray for our Ministry of Liturgical Music, our choir and instrumentalists, led by Eneyi (thank you!). St Augustine of Hippo said ‘Singing is praying twice over’ and also ‘Sing a New Song to the Lord – our New Lives is the song we are to sing’. Singing in different languages is an essential part of our worship of God in our diverse parish and so we are seeking to rebuild our choir. We invite as many as possible to come and join the choir (it is currently practicing each Sunday after Mass – but if more join us a different time could be arranged). We also need instrumentalists to accompany the singing: guitars, drums, and especially key-board. Please contact Eneyi or Richard
DIOCESAN PRAYER Today the Diocese prays for the Parishes in communion for mission of Our Lady, St Mary of Glastonbury, Glastonbury, St Michael, Shepton Mallet, Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Cheddar, St Joseph & St Teresa, Wells served by Fr Mark Moran, Fr Tony Pazhayakalam CSTR Parish Administrators Mrs Clare Sharp, Mrs Charlotte Lythaby and all their communities.