Our Lord Jesus Christ the King (B)
(Youth Day)
21st November 2021
Dear Parishioner
Today we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King. "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient
doors! That the King of glory may come in." (Psalm 24: 7)
Blessed are you O Lord, our light and our salvation, creator of the day and night. We give you thanks for the light of
Christ rising from the dead. Dispel all darkness and fill us with your Holy Spirit that we may sing: Glory to you O Father,
the source of every light! Glory to you Lord Jesus, the firstborn from the dead! Glory to you O Holy Spirit, the Lord and
giver of life! To you, Most Holy Trinity be praise and glory on the day of resurrection and for evermore. Amen
Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world'. Jesus does not rule as earthly kings rule. He has no palace, no
throne, no crown, no army. Yet we give him an allegiance and a loyalty, which we would not give to any other person or
institution of earth. Alone and unarmed he stood before Pilate. Pilate, had thousands of soldiers to call upon. Jesus had
no soldier to call upon. Yet Jesus was incomparably the greater of the two. Jesus is the hope of the human race. He rules,
not by force, but by love. Lord Jesus may your kingdom come, and may you remember me on that day.
Today is also World Youth Day. Let us pray for the young people of the world especially those in our own parish.
Fr Jijo George
Notices:
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Cashless giving: In response to requests from parishioners and to keep up with the times QR codes have
been provided by the Diocese to enable cashless giving. These have been placed at the doors of our church. Please scan
the amount you want to donate and the money will automatically go into the parish bank account. The Donate link has
also been set up by the diocese to pay in directly to the parish account http://stream.seccomgroup.com/donations/saoc. Thank
you for your continued generosity.
- Priest Surgery: There will be Parish Priest surgery on Thursdays 5.30pm - 6.30pm. Please in order to
book a baptism date for your child, please attend the weekly Parish Surgery.
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Baptism Enquiries: Kindly use the parish email (click
here) for any request. Please ensure that you give us your contact number/email address for further communication.
Kindly do not leave your contact number via the phone answering machine. Please do come to the Thursday parish priest
Surgery.
- Baptism Preparation: If you have booked in for a Baptism, you are asked to take part in a Baptism
Preparation Course. The course will be conducted by the Parish priest on first Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm or by
appointment. The Parents and God-parents are expected to attend the course. The baptism dates will be available on first
and third Saturdays of every month and the time for Baptism would be at 12 noon.
- RECEIVING COMMUNION Please consume the Body of Christ in front of the Priest or Minister of
Communion NOT in your seat.
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Please consider Gift Aiding your donations If you or your partner are a taxpayer and you are not yet a
member of the parish Gift Aid scheme, please do join. At no extra cost to you, we can recover the tax that you have
paid on your donations. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can also personally reclaim the difference between the
basic rate of tax and the higher rate of tax that you pay on your donations. Gift Aid tax recovery is an important part
of our parish income.
We still have a lot of 2021/22 Gift Aid boxes to be collected - please contact Dee if you are a member
of the scheme and don't yet have your current year box. The form to set up a standing order payment is available
from Dee or the parish website.
You can contact Dee Davey (Parish Gift Aid Organiser) click here to Email or 07951661072 or ask Fr
Jijo or Kevin to pass on your details to Dee.
- Intentions for All Souls: Please collect envelopes from the church for intentions you would like
said and return them as early as possible.
- Hospital Visits: If you go into hospital or a member of your family, inform the Parish Office so
that the priest can visit you in hospital.
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Little Pantry Following Rev Caroline's appeal at last Sunday's Mass about the setting up of a
Little Pantry in the Church grounds, we are now seeking volunteers who would be prepared to be part of a rota of people
who check the goods in the pantry and refill as required from a storage area close by. If you are able to commit to
passing by once a week and checking the goods in the pantry please contact Christine Webb click here to Email
07585331615 or speak to her after Sunday Mass.
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"Alternative Gifts" this Christmas. St Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "It is Christmas
every time you let God love others through you." As part of Advent, we naturally reflect on our Christmas giving.
Many charities now offer inventive and wonderful ways to support their work, as a gift to others - you can buy goats or
bees, help preserve sections of rainforest, and much more. To help in your search for such gifts our Diocesan Caritas
has brought a range of charity details all together on one page, and you will find it at: https://www.caritasbrentwood.org/christmas/.
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The Augustinian We are aiming to produce an edition of "The Augustinian" for Christmas. We
are looking for items which may interest people, about Parish events, Parish people or general interest. If you have
pictures that would be very welcome. Click here to
Email your contributions, if possible by early November.
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DBS Checks: It is a legal requirement for those working with children and vulnerable adults within the
Church to be DBS checked, these checks are now carried out every three years, this must be adhered to. Please
click here to Email Antoinette.
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World Youth Service (BCYS) Appeal BCYS and Walsingham House at Abbotswick offer retreats, pilgrimages
and many other events for many thousands of young people every year; most of the work is led by volunteers, trained as
young leaders in the Church. The BCYS also supports our catechists and school lay chaplains. Today/next week a speaker
will tell us more about the BCYS and there will be a collection for their vital work, or you can donate online at
www.bcys.net/donate.
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Advent Carol Service: Sunday 12th December at Walsingham House at Abbots wick with Christmas carols
both classic and contemporary performed by our incredibly talented BCYS musicians, accompanied with readings from
scripture and Christmas poems & stories. This year we are running two concerts, at 3pm or 7pm -
limited capacity at each event (dependent on any Government restrictions in place at the time). Tickets £10 -
proceeds to supporting our pilgrimages to Lourdes. Please book with Joe Beattie, Walsingham House manager click
here to Email or 01277 373 959.
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BCYS Summer Lourdes Pilgrimage 2022: 23rd - 30th July 2022: Applications are now open
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 full info of visas, vaccinations and how to apply.
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Annual Parish Dinner - Update: Please let Karin know (tel.01245 466167) if you would like to attend
this light-hearted and enjoyable evening at the County Hotel, Chelmsford on Saturday the 8th January at 7.30 pm. The
cost will be £30.00 a head. Menus available after Mass on Sunday. Do phone or email Karin if you have any
questions: click here to Email.
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Tree of Angels This November, Brentwood Catholic Children's Society launches their virtual
Tree of Angels allowing you to light up an angel on a virtual Christmas tree in memory of a loved one
who has died while making a donation to the work of 'bccs'. Read more at https://www.bccs.org.uk/christmas/tree-angels or go
straight to https://visufund.com/treeofangels to make
your dedication and secure donation. If you have any questions about lighting an angel, please contact Julie click here to Email.
- Parish Income - If you do not pay by standing order and are not able to get to Church, you can pay
directly to "Catholic Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury Springfield" on account 91082884 at sort code
40-13-22. Envelopes can be dropped through the Presbytery letterbox.
Please remember to pray for:
Daily for the sick clergy of our Diocese
The sick and housebound
Those who have recently died
Years Mind:
Sunday: Brian Lynch
Tuesday: Mgr Edward Watson, Canon Martin Hancock
Wednesday: Valentine & Nazera Nasser
Thursday: Christopher Michael Rees
Friday: Fr Anthony Robson
Saturday: Fr John Aydon
Sunday: Fr Patrick Bennett, Deacon Anthony Collings
