WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
17th NOVEMBER 2024: 33rd SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR B)
To download the print edition, please click here.
MASSES THIS WEEK:
Saturday 16th November (33rd Sunday– Vigil Mass) at 6.30pm (Intention: George & Tony Lewis)
Sunday 17th November (33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time) at 9.30am (Intention: Brian Walsh – B) & 11.00am (Intention: Jane Haigh – A)
Tuesday 19th November (Feria) at 7.00pm (Intention: Giovanni Rossato – B)
Wednesday 20th November (Feria) at 9.30am (Intention: Michael & Jean McGann)
Thursday 21st November (The Presentation of Mary) at 9.30am (Intention: Hazel Linley – B)
Friday 22nd November (St Cecilia) at 9.30am (Intention: Dan Kenny – LD)
Saturday 23rd November (Christ the King – Vigil Mass) at 6.30pm (Intention: Józef & Jolanta Rudzki)
Sunday 24th November (Christ the King of the Universe) at 9.30am (Intention: Ronald Marshall – A) & 11.00am (Intention: The People of the Parish)
CONFESSIONS: Saturday 6.00pm-6.20pm; Tuesday 6.30pm-6.50pm.
PARISH OFFICE: Mondays and Fridays 9am–1pm. Janice: office.stjoseph.pudsey@dioceseofleeds.org.uk
BAPTISMS: Our prayers and congratulations to Patrick Dennis James Egan, Sonny George O’Brien and Roman Parker O’Brien, who were baptised yesterday (Saturday) and to their proud families!
On Wednesday (20th November), please join in prayer with the campaign to raise awareness of the silent persecution of Christians throughout the world. 62 out of 196 countries in the world have violations of religious freedom. Religious freedom is violated in 23 out of 54 African countries. 67% of people in the world live in countries where grave religious persecution occurs. For more info: www.acnuk.org/redwednesday
ONLINE SCRIPTURE GROUP: meets on Tuesday evenings. For info: pudseystjoseph@gmail.com
OFFERTORY RECEIVED LAST SUNDAY:
Envelopes: £254.20; loose plate: £294.82; bank transfers: £196.00; Total: £745.02. Sincere thanks for your generosity! Ukraine appeal: £65.00. You can continue to give to CAFOD’s humanitarian aid for Ukraine by putting your offering in an envelope marked ‘Ukraine’.
* * * You can donate to our parish by clicking here * * * *
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PARISH ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the parish, who donated an incredibly generous £748.16 in the last special collection. So far this year, with the money raised through collections and parish-supported activities, we have been able to make a meaningful impact in our local community, including being able to: Provide 5 donations of furniture to families in need; Distribute 4 food vouchers to those who need them most; Donate 2 domestic appliances, making a real difference in people’s lives. We’ve also organized two separate social events, sharing meals and joy with the elderly in our parish. In addition, we have been able to continue our commitment to supporting our SVP twin parish of St. Xavier’s Church in Irudayapuram, India. Thanks to the generosity of the parish, we are now in the fortunate position of knowing that we can support any requests that come in over the festive period and throughout the winter. Our parish group meets on the first Monday of every month at 7.00pm in the church porch. Please contact Chris Hirst for info: chris.j.hirst@outlook.com New members always welcome!
NOVEMBER DEAD LIST ENVELOPES: are now available in the church porch. Please put your list of deceased loved ones in the envelope, along with any offering you wish to make. You can pop the completed envelope into the offertory collection at Mass, or return them to the presbytery. Mass intentions for all those on the list will be offered throughout the year. The list of names so far received are on our church porch noticeboard and our parish website: www.stjosephpudsey.org.uk/november – so far, we have received 72 Masses. Please indicate on your list if you’d rather not publish your submitted names.
ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL:
The bill presented in the House of Commons by Kim Leadbeater MP gets its second reading on Friday 29th November. Please consider contacting your local MP – the charity Right to Life UK has a simple online mechanism to do so. It takes little more than a few minutes to input your postcode, make sure the suggested text suits your viewpoint, and then submit your message to ask your MP to stop this bill being rushed into law: https://righttolife.org.uk/ASthreat
For more about the Church’s position: www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/catholics-oppose-assisted-suicide/
ADVENT CHILDRENS WORKSHOP: Sunday 1st December (First Sunday of Advent) in St Joseph’s Parish Centre 2-4pm. It is a fun, family afternoon as we start our preparations for Christmas, open to children from Nursery to Year 4. Places must be booked as numbers are limited to a maximum of 50. Refreshments will be provided. Children must be accompanied by an adult who can also assist them with their crafts. They are also asked, if possible, to bring a new unwrapped toy to donate to the Youth SVP Christmas Toy Appeal for a child less fortunate than themselves. There is a small charge of £5 per child or £10 per family to cover the cost of materials. If you would like your child to attend, please complete the form available in the church porch and return to Freda Mortimer or Justine Massie or Mrs Hollingsworth in our school no later than November 25th.
PARISH GENERAL MEETING: It’s been a while since we had a general parish meeting, and so you’re invited to come to the Parish Hall on Wednesday 20th November at 6.30pm. Fr Peter will present the parish accounts, give an update on various property matters, and we can have a discussion about the Live Simply challenge, the coming Jubilee Year, and other things. Welcome!
SUNDAY MISSALS: The translation of the Scripture readings at Mass is changing, and the new version will start to be used on the First Sunday of Advent (1st December).
If you would like to order a new Missal for your personal use, see: www.stjosephpudsey.org.uk/missal
The changes mean that we will no longer need the hard-backed red People’s Missals in our church – so please do feel free to take copies away to have at home or to give out.
PUDSEY COMMUNITY PROJECT are appealing for food and toiletries for people in need in our area, particularly for the run-up to Christmas. For items they are looking for, see the poster in the church porch. We can collect regular donations here at St Joseph’s – so please leave any in the church porch and we will transfer them each week. Thank you for all your generosity so far! For more info: www.pudseycommunity.org.uk
TRAVELLING CRIB: Could you offer Mary and Joseph a room for the night? It is a lovely, unique way to help families prepare for Christmas and to just stop and pause for a short while in the busy build up to Christmas. We use a soft play crib that is suitable for children. Families who volunteer get given a date for the crib to come to their home and the details of the families who will have it before and after them, so they can get in touch with each other to arrange drop off / pick up. The crib will get blessed in church on the 1st Sunday of Advent (1st December) and a family takes it home. They have it in their home for that day. They open it up and set it up, light a candle, read the story and say a prayer. They then pack it up and pass it on to the next family the next day. The crib then travels around the parish throughout Advent. We also include some optional activities to do together as a family to enhance the experience.
If you would like the Travelling Crib to come into your home, please click here or email catechist.stjoseph.pudsey@dioceseofleeds.org.uk with your name, address, phone number and any dates you are unavailable in Advent.
THREE AFRICAN PEAKS CHALLENGE: This year David Farmer, Deputy Head Teacher at our primary school, is undertaking the African Three Peaks challenge. He is attempting to ‘virtually climb’ the highest three African Peaks (Kilimanjaro, Stanley and Kenya) with a combined total of 16,203m to raise a target of £4000 required to drill a bore hole at Thembinfundo, a special needs school in South Africa. To date he has climbed 6950m – equating to 40%. He has scaled his first peak and making his way up the second. Thanks to the kind donations the total raised is now £495, and with Gift Aid that makes £618, which has enabled the purchase of the water tanks for storage. Any further donations would be welcomed. Thank you once again for your kind generosity and know that your donations are making a real difference: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/19318
GROWING OLD GRACE-FULLY ONLINE SESSIONS: The Leeds Diocese older people’s charity Growing Old Grace-fully holds its next online session Finding Hope in Community and Parish Life, on Tuesday 19 November, 2:30-3:30pm. To attend email growing.old.gracefully@dioceseofleeds.org.uk
LEEDS CATHEDRAL GUIDED TOURS: Free guided yours on the following Saturdays at 2pm: 23rd November and 14th December. The tours last about an hour and are free to attend. No booking is required. Please gather by the Baptismal Font at the back of the Cathedral.
PALESTINIAN FILM: SPARK Social Justice are sponsoring a film which will be shown as part of the 2024 Leeds Palestinian Film Festival. “Where Olive Trees Weep” tells the stories of the people that the filmmakers met on a journey through the West Bank in 2022. Saturday 23rd November 6pm-9pm in Wheeler Hall, Leeds Cathedral. To purchase tickets (£5 each): www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/film-presentation-where-olive-trees-weep-tickets-1034998637787
NEW BEREAVEMENT MINISTRY TRAINING: A two-day course for those wishing to learn how to accompany those who are grieving. Saturday 11th January & Saturday 18th January 2025 10am–4pm at The Briery Retreat Centre, Ilkley. For more information or an application form please contact the Elizabeth Prout Bereavement Care team at epbereavementcare@dioceseofleeds.org.uk
THE BRIERY RETREAT CENTRE, ILKLEY:
Briery Weekly Online Meditations: The Briery hosts a weekly hour of meditation/reflection focusing on the following Sunday’s readings, providing an opportunity for shared reflection in small groups, on Thursdays – reflection begins at 7.30pm, doors open from 7.15pm for a welcome/chat. All are welcome to attend. Register for zoom link by emailing: admin@briery.co.uk
ADVENT DAY OF REFLECTION: led by Fr Dennis Cassidy, 10.00am – 4.00pm Saturday 7 December £40pp including a two-course home-cooked lunch.
ADVENT PREACHED RETREAT: led by Fr Chris Thomas 13-15 December, entitled ‘Advent – a time to meet the God of Surprises’. £215pp fully inclusive/£100pp non-residential.
Briery Retreat Centre, 38 Victoria Avenue, Ilkley LS29 9BW
For bookings for the above & further information, please email briery@btconnect.com or tel. 01943 607287. www.briery.org.uk
