St Mary Mother of God

Eighteenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

On Monday morning, there was a lot of activity just after seven o'clock. Garry and David were moving machinery on to the school field to start work on the building of the new school library; a very generous donation by the two families in our parish. In the afternoon, I returned to the site and peered down into the trenches which had been dug for the foundations. They were so deep you could have erected a block of flats on them. "Why so deep"? I enquired. "Building regulations", they said. The L.A. Inspector insisted on them being that deep. As I peered down into the abyss, I saw some ready-mix lorries backing across the field. I stayed to see the first pouring of the concrete. There is no doubt the new library is built on firm foundations.

There is a traditional hymn we sing from time to time which begins, "The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by Water and the Word". Jesus often talked about our lives in terms of building our house on firm foundations. In the gospels of Matthew (7, 24) and Luke (6, 47) Jesus said that anyone who hears his words and heeds them is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. That house could not be shaken because it was well built.

The problem with the ground where we are putting the new library is the roots of trees, especially where the soil is a mixture of clay and sand. The roots are necessary for the trees but in this case they are like the evil influences all around us. In some instances in Essex tree roots have undermined buildings. Great cracks have appeared in the walls and in extreme cases the buildings have had to be underpinned or demolished and rebuilt from scratch. So it is with our lives if we allow the evil influences of this world to undermine them. Always remember, the Church's sure foundation is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Neglect Him and our house is in peril. A thought for August. Have a good break.

will be here for the month of August. He is well known to us now. How about inviting him to your home for a meal especially at weekends. He likes to practise his English. Although we don't speak the Queens English, he likes to hear the colloquialisms but not "we was or you was", please!

will be at home in Ireland during August. It will be possible to contact him through the Presbytery but only in dire emergency, please.

There are days in August when Masses have not been booked. Fr. Paul will fill in any times that are available. You can still book Masses during August.

There are days in August when Masses have not been booked. Fr. Paul will fill in any times that are available. You can still book Masses during August.

was the front page headline in the free Havering paper, "Living". It is heartbreaking to see how many cigarette ends and rubbish are left in and around our church especially after weddings and funerals. I personally swept up over 500 cigarette ends one Saturday morning but after a wedding in the afternoon it looked as if I need not have bothered. It is such a filthy habit. I'd like to say to people, "Take nothing away but leave nothing behind".

was taken into King George's Hospital on Tuesday morning. Please keep him in your prayers.

Please ignore the rota as I have contacted people who will be around during the holiday period. Thank you. Sister Teresa.

It is important that we keep our church clean during the holiday period. If your holiday clashes when you should be cleaning, please arrange to change with someone else or just turn up when you can.

Date for reopening will be in the next newsletter (September).

starts in September 2010 for those going into Year 3 or above. Parents who are interested in enrolling their child on the course, please take a letter from the Church porch with all the details. The enrolment meeting will be held on 7th September 2010 at 8.00pm in the Parish Hall. Many thanks. Jane & Theresa.

If any parent would be interested in becoming a Catechist on this year's communion programme, could they please contact Jane on 07972 280734 ASAP.

Our next course will be September. There will be no Baptism Course in August.

We need a volunteer to be a Pilgrim Leader for Birmingham. Shannon McEvoy has volunteered to be the Pilgrim Leader for Hyde Park. The leader will need two forms of identity, one photographic e.g. passport or photocard driving licence and a copy of the list of pilgrims from the parish.

For Information on the visist click on the links below:

The Launch
Parish Letter
Parish Poster

Affiliated links:
http://www.heartgivesuntoheart.co.uk

http://www.gerrycoates.com

There will be no meetings after mass on Wednesdays during the month of August. Meetings will resume in the Van Meenen Room on Wednesday, 1st September. All welcome.

is closed for the Summer break. We will resume in September.

will resume on 4th September at 5.00pm in the Van Meenen Room.

During the day please contact Betty at 01708 720834 with any prayer requests.

will resume on Sunday, 12th September.

on 10th August at 8.00pm at St. Joseph's Upminster.

on Thursday, 19th August at St. Teresa's Church, Newbury Park.

Your Parish Council is looking for a second representative to attend these inter-Church meetings, which occur 4 or 5 times a year, on a Friday evening. Please contact Susan Squire on 01708 470632 or give your name to the Parish Office.

are doing a charity walk from Chipping Ongar to Bradwell-on-Sea, following St Peter's Way, from 14th - 16th September. They will be seeking your sponsorship after the holidays. Proceeds will go to various charities, such as St Francis Hospice, Brentwood Children's Society and The Passage.

will resume their Thursday meetings on 9th September at 2.30pm. If you are interested in joining or just finding out more about the CWL, why not come to one of our meetings or telephone the secretary on 01708 445530.

on Friday, 17th September at Ilford Golf Club. £45 non-Ilford Golf Club members/£25 members. Price includes 18 hole Stableford Competition, Nearest the pin/Longest drive comp and 3 course evening meal. Contact John Buckley on 01708 455887 or email j.buckley@hotmail.co.uk.

for Brentwood Catholic Children's Society on Saturday, 11th September at Headcorn, Kent. Contact Julie Abbott on 01268 784544/07912 277413 or email jabbott@childcareuk.org for further details.

Members Club, family atmosphere, close to the Church. Apply at Club for membership. Private functions can be held, alongside existing programme. Telephone Andy on 07946 650606.

at home and in hospital, especially Phil Alvis, Giuseppe Amato, Baby Stella, Ashley Baptist, Niamh Bowdler, Kathleen Bruxby, Rose Burling, Ann Carroll, Mary Claire Carroll, Mike Davidson, Tony De Lucia, Alfred DeSouza, Caitlin Donovan, Leo Duffy, Carmen Fisher, Jackie Fisher, Kevin Hartie, Vincent Hayes, Evelyn Hughes, Mary Hughes, Fr Gerard Hughes, Josie Humphreys, Yvonne Ingham, Dave Kelly, Patrick Killeen, James Lanigan, Carmen Magro, Doris Magro, Myra Munden, Grady O'Neill, Mary Orford, Fr. David Papworth, Theresa Parr, Paul Ridley, Hazel Roberts, Len Smith, Jane Stevenson, Jim Tatam, Muriel Tompkins, Marie Tuck, Ken Warren, David Wells, John Wilson, Maureen Williams and for all our family and friends who are ill. Please inform us if there is someone seriously ill.

Readers:		Saturday	6.30 pm		Sue Laffey/Chris Oliver
		Sunday	8.00 am		Brian Rodgers/Nicola Stacey
			9.30 am		Ignore Rota, see notice
			11.30 am		Donna Coy/Marie McEvoy

Bidding Prayers:	Pat Farrell	Coffee Morning Rota:	Not required until September
Church Cleaning:	Group 1	Newsletter Folding:	Not required until September
6.30pm Mass Rota:	Group 10

Offerings 25/07/10:

Envs:

£1,311.91

Loose

£801.73

Total

£2,113.64

Saturday
6.30pm	Allan J Ellett RIP
Sunday
8.00am	All Parishioners
9.30am	Mary Nolan (Sick)
11.30am	Joseph Treston RIP
Monday
9.00am	Holy Souls
7.30pm	Fr. Pat Carroll RIP
Tuesday
9.00am	Matt Ward RIP
7.30	David Manuel RIP
Wednesday
9.00am	Nora Neavy RIP
7.30pm	Alessandro Pellay RIP
Thursday
9.00am	Cecelia Parker RIP
7.30pm	Michael Dolan RIP
Friday
9.00am	Holy Souls
7.30pm	Mair Family - Int
Saturday
12.00 Noon	Linda Keating - Int
6.30pm	E Commins RIP
Sunday
8.00am	All Parishioners
9.30am	Matt Ward RIP
11.30am	Kathy O'Dea (Thanksgiving)

Seventeenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

I still have a little statue of Pope John XXIII, now Blessed John, on my mantelpiece. Bishop Wall gave it to me in 1965. He bought it in Rome at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. I treasure it because Pope John gave me a completely new vision of the Church. He followed Pope Pius XII who was a good man. He tried to be correct in everything he did. He presented a very austere image of the successor of St. Peter. In some ways he tried to move the Church in liturgy by introducing the Dialogue Mass so that the people could make the responses instead of an altar server or two. He looked as if he was unapproachable. He was very respected but not loved very much.

John couldn't have been more different. His humour and humanity circulated around the globe. The beaky Roman curia officials didn't know what to make of him. They said, "He doesn't know how to behave as a pope!". He ate lunch sometimes with the gardeners and when asked how many people work in the Vatican, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "About half of them". It wasn't just among Catholics he was popular. Everyone loved him. It is reported that every night before he retired Blessed John XXIII used to lie down on the chapel floor and pray, "Lord, I have done my best. But at the end of the day it's your Church".

I believe that being human is a very large part of being holy. Surely that is what the Incarnation is all about. Did not the Son of God become truly human when He took flesh of the Virgin Mary and became man? St. Thomas Aquinas, writing about the Body of Christ for Corpus Christi, said that the Son of God in taking our nature turned men into gods. In the Eucharist Christ shares his life with us and we with Him. And John XXIII was truly trying to imitate his master. And Jesus also had a great sense of humour. He had nicknames on his Apostles. I suppose today he would be accused of political incorrectness! But his humanity shone through everything he did. And he was loved. When St. John the evangelist was dying his last words were, "Little children, love one another".

starts in September 2010 for those going into Year 3 or above. Parents who are interested in enrolling their child on the course, please take a letter from the Church porch with all the details. The enrolment meeting will be held on 7th September 2010 at 8.00pm in the Parish Hall. Many thanks. Jane & Theresa.

If any parent would be interested in becoming a Catechist on this year's communion programme, could they please contact Jane on 07972 280734 ASAP.

There was £59.00 left over from the First Communion party which we will send to the Brentwood Catholic Children's Society as a donation if that is acceptable to all parents involved.

A huge and heartfelt thank you from Jane & Theresa for all the lovely cards and gifts received from all the communion parents.

Our next course will be September. There will be no Baptism Course in August.

The closing date for those who wanted to go to Hyde Park and Birmingham was last Friday. We have 32 applicants for Hyde Park and 6 for Birmingham. These names will be sent to the Diocesan Coordinator next Wednesday. We need a volunteer to be a Pilgrim Leader for both events. The leader will need two forms of identity, one photographic e.g. passport or photocard driving licence and a copy of the list of pilgrims from the parish. You had the application forms with your newsletter two weeks ago but we will accept late applications up to next Tuesday, 27th July. You must be prepared to stand for a long time at both events.

Click here to print Form

For Information on the visist click on the links below:

the Launch
Parish Letter
Parish Poster

Affiliated links:
http://www.heartgivesuntoheart.co.uk

http://www.gerrycoates.com

There are no vehicles to be parked around the semi-circle in front of the Church. Apart from obstructing the view of our lovely Church, people have driven up the steps to get past and left the tyre marks on the granite steps. Also someone in a wheelchair trying to go home after school was nearly run over and the parish priest was actually hit by a car reversing to avoid another car in front. Had it been a child the consequences could have been serious. Please do NOT drop off or pick up your child from the Church car park. Park at Blockbusters or Tesco. It is only a very short walk from there.

will be with us for August. I know you will give him your usual warm welcome.

Application forms for the Youth Club are now in the Church porch. If you were a member last year you MUST complete a new application form. Year 6 have had their forms through school. Closing date for all applications is Friday, 30th July. Please enclose your form in a sealed envelope and put through the Presbytery letterbox clearly marked Youth Club. Thank you.

There will be no meetings after mass on Wednesdays during the month of August. Meetings will resume in the Van Meenen Room on Wednesday, 1st September. All welcome.

is closed for the Summer break. We will resume in September.

will resume on 4th September at 5.00pm in the Van Meenen Room.

During the day please contact Betty at 01708 720834 with any prayer requests.

starting on Wednesday afternoons from 15th September at St. Mary's School. For children 3 months - 4 years old. For further information, call the school office on 01708 448430.

will stop from Sunday, 25th July during the holiday period and resume on Sunday, 12th September.

on 10th August at 8.00pm at St. Joseph's Upminster.

on Thursday, 19th August at St. Teresa's Church, Newbury Park.

Your Parish Council is looking for a second representative to attend these inter-Church meetings, which occur 4 or 5 times a year, on a Friday evening. Please contact Susan Squire on 01708 470632 or give your name to the Parish Office.

are doing a charity walk from Chipping Ongar to Bradwell-on-Sea, following St Peter's Way, from 14th -16th September. They will be seeking your sponsorship after the holidays. Proceeds will go to various charities, such as St Francis Hospice, Brentwood Children's Society and The Passage.

will resume their Thursday meetings on 9th September at 2.30pm. If you are interested in joining or just finding out more about the CWL, why not come to one of our meetings or telephone the secretary on 01708 445530.

It is the tenth anniversary of the visit of Padre Ticoa and eleven parishioners from our twinned parish to St. Mary's. Last year our parish sent almost £6,000 raised from donations and events, particularly One World Night, to help with projects. Since 1996 a number of parishioners from St. Mary's, including eight young people, have visited Sao Francisco Parish. To support further projects you can donate gifts at the back of the Church. We hope to have a Brazilian fundraising event which we hope you will support. Keep them in your prayers. There are photos and information in the Church porch.

Members Club, family atmosphere, close to the Church. Apply at Club for membership. Private functions can be held, alongside existing programme. Telephone Andy on 07946 650606.

at home and in hospital, especially Phil Alvis, Giuseppe Amato, Baby Stella, Ashley Baptist, Niamh Bowdler, Kathleen Bruxby, Rose Burling, Ann Carroll, Mary Claire Carroll, Mike Davidson, Tony De Lucia, Alfred DeSouza, Caitlin Donovan, Leo Duffy, Carmen Fisher, Jackie Fisher, Kevin Hartie, Vincent Hayes, Evelyn Hughes, Mary Hughes, Fr Gerard Hughes, Josie Humphreys, Yvonne Ingham, Dave Kelly, Patrick Killeen, James Lanigan, Carmen Magro, Doris Magro, Myra Munden, Grady O'Neill, Mary Orford, Fr. David Papworth, Theresa Parr, Paul Ridley, Hazel Roberts, Len Smith, Jane Stevenson, Jim Tatam, Muriel Tompkins, Marie Tuck, Ken Warren, David Wells, John Wilson, Maureen Williams and for all our family and friends who are ill. Please inform us if there is someone seriously ill.

Readers:		Saturday	6.30 pm		Chris Oliver/Warren James
		Sunday	8.00 am		Seb Hough/Susan Squire
			9.30 am		Rebecca Tatam
			11.30 am		Peter Amey/Shirley Campbell

Bidding Prayers:	Liz Allen	Coffee Morning Rota:	Group G
Church Cleaning:	Group 7	Newsletter Folding:	Team D
6.30pm Mass Rota:	Group 9

Offerings 18/07/10:		Envs:	£1,423.20	Loose	£769.99	Total	£2,193.19
Verona Fathers:		Envs:	£190.80	Loose	£700.17	Total	£890.97

Saturday
6.30pm	Matt Ward RIP
Sunday
8.00am	Bernard Palmar RIP
9.30am	Angela & Tony Bennett Int
11.30am	All Parishioners
Monday
8.30am	Eileen Pelletier (Sick)
7.30pm	Victor Payne RIP
Tuesday
9.00am	Matt Ward RIP
7.30	Bridget Riley (Sick)
Wednesday
9.00am	Int friends & relatives of Ling family
7.30pm	John Breeze RIP
Thursday
9.00am	James Long RIP
7.30pm	Kathleen Donnelly RIP
Friday
9.00am	Kathleen Bancutt RIP
7.30pm	Special Intention
Saturday
12.00 Noon	Deceased members of Spillane Family
6.30pm	Allan J Ellett RIP
Sunday
8.00am	All Parishioners
9.30am	Mary Nolan (Sick)
11.30am	Joseph Treston RIP