THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
22 DECEMBER 2024
| Sat 21 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | Ruth O’Donnell RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | Pat Black | |
| Sun 22 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Frank & Mary Lally | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | The Elwell Family esp. Eddie | |
| Mon 23 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 12.45pm | Funeral of Joseph Blundell | |
| St. Columba’s | 10.30am | Brian Haslam RIP | |
| Tue 24 Dec | Christmas Eve | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 4.30pm | Carols & Readings | |
| 5.00pm | Constance & Rowlands | ||
| St. Columba’s | 4.30pm | Children’s Nativity Mass, Children’s Intention | |
| 7.00pm | Kevin, Frances & Martin Connolly RIP | ||
| Wed 25 Dec | The Nativity of the Lord – Christmas Day | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Parishioners’ Intentions | |
| 11.00am | Ellie & Joseph Marsden RIP | ||
| Thu 26 Dec | The Feast of St Stephen | ||
| St. Theresa’s | Muriel Hallingan | ||
| St. Columba’s | 12noon | Paul Murphy | |
| Fri 27 Dec | St John, Ap, Ev. Feast | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 10.00am | John Lloyd RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | The Parish | ||
| Sat 28 Dec | |||
| St. Theresa’s | 5.00pm | Michael Gerrard Dunne RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 6.30pm | Evan Rothwell RIP & the Family | |
| Sun 29 Dec | The Feast of the Holy Family | ||
| St. Theresa’s | 9.30am | Graham George RIP | |
| St. Columba’s | 11.00am | Lily & Keith Olive |
Please note if there is no time next to Mass it means there is no Mass for parishioners to attend that day, but the Priests will say Mass privately.
LIVE STREAMING OF MASS
Mass will be streamed from St Theresa’s on Sunday 22nd and 25th December 2024 and St Columba’s also on 25th December 2024.
www.facebook.com/thecatholicparishofstcolumbaandsttheresa
POPE’S DECMBER PRAYER INTENTIONS
We pray that this Jubilee Year strengthen our faith, helping us to recognise the Risen Christ in our daily lives, and that it may transform us into pilgrims of Christian hope.
RECENTLY DECEASED
Please remember in your prayers, Joseph Blundell, as well as their family and friends. Joe’s funeral will be at St Theresa’s at 12.45pm on Monday 23rd of December.
ANNIVERSARIES
Ruth O’Donnell, Francis Joseph Lally, Alfred Desmond Fox, Ellie Marsden, Muriel Halligan, Michael Gerrard Dunne.
WEDDINGS, BAPTISMS AND FUNERALS
Please contact one of the Parish Offices to make your arrangements.
CONFESSIONS
There will be Confessions after each weekday Mass until 11.30a.m.
St Columba’s: From 6p.m. before the 6.30p.m. Saturday evening Mass.
St Theresa’s: From 4.30p.m. before 5p.m. Saturday evening Mass.
CHRISTMAS GREETING
Fr William and Fr Peter would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A big thank you to all those who have helped in any way with the Christmas services. Thank you for all your support throughout the year.
PARISH OFFICES CHRISTMAS CLOSURE
The offices will close on Tuesday 24th December and re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2025. In an emergency, please call 01244 371660.
PARISH OFFERTORY
Loose Plate: £274.30; Planned Giving £116.50; Average weekly SO £555.00. Candles £24.73
Many thanks for your generous support.
ST COLUMBA’S COFFEE ROTA
The coffee rota is on the noticeboard in St Columba’s Hall. Please enter your name and good cause against your preferred dates. You could make £30-£50 for your chosen cause.
22 Dec volunteers please
29 Dec volunteers please
PRAYING TOGETHER
Pray for:
- For the residents of Woodlea Avenue, Cornwall Road, Aldford Road, Fowler Road, Clifton Drive, Blacon Point Road and Dalton Close.
- For All Age Family Worship, Messy Church, Junior Church and Children’s Liturgy.
- For all children who attend our churches each Sunday and their leaders.
ADVENT JOURNEY OF OUR KNITTED MARY, JOSEPH & DONKEY FIGURES
Our Holy Family have begun their Bethlehem journey to St. Theresa’s crib. Parish families are hosting them nightly, and they will be stopping to visit the schools of St. Werburgh and St. Columba’s and St. Theresa’s on their way.
CHRISTMAS SERVICES LEAFLET
Copies are available in the porches during Advent. Do take it home and use it as reference to the many Advent and Christmas Services.
CHRISTMAS EVE MASS – ST COLUMBA’S
We are looking for children of all ages to help with the 4.30pm Christmas Eve Mass at St Columba’s.
If you are a budding actor, reader, sheep, shepherd, King or Angel etc. and would like to be part of the service please contact Gillian Blatch gh.settle@gmail.com
UPTON CHURCHES CRIB
This crib is on display during Advent in the rear porch at St Columba’s. There is an explanation of what we know of its history on display beside it.
UPTON CHURCHES FIFTH SUNDAY SERVICE
The next service will be held at 4.30p.m. on next Sunday 29th December at the United Reformed Church on Heath Road. The theme will be “EMMANUEL – God with us”. Take this opportunity to round off your Christmas week in worship with the other Upton churches.
BAPTISMAL CANDLES AND CERTIFICATES
Irene Queenan is going to retire soon from the art of preparing Baptismal Candles and Certificates. If anyone would like to take over this role, please contact the office.
CARITAS
There is a basket by the crib for donations to CARITAS for their work with children and families of the Diocese.
CHRISTMAS MEMORY TREE
A time to remember those who will not be able to celebrate Christmas with us this year. There will be a tree and cards on the side Altar (near back door) at St Columba’s, to write your message and hang on the tree. The message is the important thing, but anyone who wishes to make a donation, a box will be available for donations in aid of the Parish Third World Projects.
ST COLUMBA’S CHRISTMAS TREE
Many thanks and very well done to the youth group who decorated the tree near Our Lady’s altar. You did a great job.
200 CLUB
The new envelopes are available for collection at the back of St Theresa’s Church ready for the new cycle which starts on 5th January. Thank you for your continued support.
WALK WITH ME – £1
There are copies of this Advent booklet price £1 available at the back of church.
SOUND SYSTEMS AT ST THERESA’S
The work has now been finished and we hope you find it a big improvement. We will be moving the hymn numbers board as soon as we can get a bracket fixed for it to go on.
NEW TO THE PARISH? WELCOME!
We have a New Parish Registration Form to be completed and sent to either parish office to let us know that you are here and enable us to welcome you to the parish. The form can be completed and submitted online or downloaded and printed out. Instructions are on the form, which can also be found in the front porches of both churches. You will find it on the I’m New tab of the website.
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS
There will be a collection after Mass this weekend at St. Columba’s to decorate the Church over the Festive Season. For St Theresa’s, please place in an envelope marked ‘flowers’ and leave in the offertory basket. Thank you in advance for your continued support.
PARISH CHRISTMAS CARD
On behalf of the parish clergy, the Communications Group has designed a Christmas Card for each family in the parish, expressing the warm good wishes of the clergy at this holy time. The back of the card carries a reminder of service times over the Christmas week which it is hoped will be useful should you lose the fuller list prepared by the Liturgy Group. These cards will be given to families over the next two weeks, depending on print date from the printer. Any spares will be left in the porches so that each family will have a card.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “Advent is a time of waiting for our Lord, who will visit us all in our own hearts. The Lord is coming! Let us wait for him!” – Pope Francis
PASTORAL COUNCIL MEETING 11 NOVEMBER 2024
The parish’s involvement with the Pope’s invitation to the consultation process of the Synod took place during 2021 and 2022. The parish held a series of meetings with parishioners and invited written contributions in relation to desirable changes, within the church as a whole and in particular to our parish. Over 70 parishioners attended the meetings and over 200 written responses were received.
On behalf of the parish the Pastoral Council used all this information to submit a response to Bishop Mark in April 2022 regarding the parish’s thoughts on changes to the whole church. That matter then left our hands and contributed to the response from the bishop to the Bishops Conference of England and Wales.
The Pastoral Council then used your suggestions about changes to be made to the parish to draw up a Parish Development Plan. This was completed in summer 2022 and is available on the church web site. Putting that plan into practice has formed the focus of much activity in the parish over the last two years.
The Pastoral Council evaluated the implementation of the plan and identified priorities for activity for next year, 2025. These will be available on our website after formal agreement.
The overall conclusion was that a number of priorities for action had been achieved, including a regular children’s liturgy at St Columba’s; a re-vamp of the notice boards and a major revision to our website to make it easier to navigate and be more informative; the involvement of more parishioners in a variety of parish ministries. Further developments in these areas and others will focus our activities next year.
Pauline Rourke, Ann McCarthy, co –chairs Pastoral Council
ST COLUMBA’S CHURCH & HALL BOOKINGS
To arrange meetings etc. in either the Church, Newman Room or the Iona Chapel, please book through Magdalena Bukowska, St. Columba’s Church Office, phone: 01244 624019, email: stcolumbaschurch2016@outlook.com. Office hours Monday to Friday 9a.m. to 2p.m.
Hall availability can be checked by looking at St Columba’s Church website – section for Church Hall gives a calendar of events in the Hall. Then contact Magdalena Bukowska on 01244 624019 for enquires within the office hours stated above or email columbashallbookings@gmail.com to arrange booking.
SUBMISSION OF ITEMS FOR NEWSLETTERS OVER THE CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR PERIOD
Our printers will be taking a well-earned holiday over the Christmas period and have already printed the newsletters for Christmas Day and for Sunday 29 December 2024. Items for the newsletter of Sunday 5 January 2025 should be sent to Eileen Irwin, phone 01244 371660, email st.theresas@btinternet.com by Wednesday 1 Jan 2025.
As always please include a phone number in case of queries, and please ensue that items are also emailed to Fr Williams. If there are any urgent items during this period, please speak to one of our Priests or Deacon.