St Simon Stock Catholic Church

Brookfield Road, South Ashford, Kent TN23 4EU

5th APRIL 2009
Tel: 01233 622399
Parish Priest: Fr John Boyle PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION
OF OUR LORD
Saint Simon of England RC Primary School,
Noakes Meadow, Ashford, TN23 2RB. Tel: 01233 623199 YEAR B
Head teacher: Mrs Elizabeth Willis

MASS TIMES AND INTENTIONS STATIONS OF THE CROSS

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Sunday 5 Today at 5.15pm and
Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord (B) Good Friday at 9.40am
10.00am Mass with solemn entrance and blessing of palms
(begins in Church Hall) (Tony Shanny RIP) HOLY WEEK AND EASTER
5.15pm Stations of the Cross LITURGY
6.00pm Mass with simple entrance and blessing of palms Please ensure you have a copy of
(For the people of the Parish) the separate sheet with times of
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Monday 6
9.30am Mass (Janet Dorey RIP) weeks.
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Tuesday 7
9.00am Mass (Gabriel & Nial McAvinue RIP) PARISH PENITENTIAL SERVICE
followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament This Tuesday at 7.00pm. Visiting
and Divine Mercy chaplet till 10.00am priests will be available to hear
7.00pm Penitential Service with Confessions confessions. Do make every effort to attend as a family this
Wednesday 8
th Lenten preparation for Easter when we renew the rejection of sin
9.30am Mass (Marie, Patrick, Annie & Hugh Treacy, Phylis that we or our parents on our behalf promised at our baptism.
Wood and Sarah Mills RIP) WIELKOPOSTNY SAKRAMENT POKUTY
THE EASTER TRIDUUM Wtorek 7-ciego kwietnia o godz. 19.00, spowiedż także w języku
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Thursday 9
Maundy Thursday THE EASTER TRIDUUM
8.00pm Mass of the Lord‟s Supper (Miss S. Foumia RIP) Although they are not of obligation, the three ceremonies of the
followed by watching before the Blessed Sacrament Mass of the Lord‟s Supper (Thursday 8pm), the Solemn
at the Altar of Repose until midnight Commemoration of the Lord‟s Passion (Friday 3pm) and the
11.50pm Night Prayer (Compline) Easter Vigil (Saturday 8.30pm) are at the heart of our celebration
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Friday 10 Good Friday of Easter. Do make every effort to attend all three if you can.
Celebration of the Lord’s Passion GOOD FRIDAY COLLECTION
(a day of fasting and abstinence) The annual collection for the Holy Places in Jerusalem takes
9.00am Office of Readings and Morning Prayer place during the 3pm Solemn Liturgy. Your customary generosity
9.40am Family Stations of the Cross is vital for the preservation of these holy sites.
2.40pm Divine Mercy Novena commences
3.00pm Solemn Commemoration of the Passion of Our CHURCHES TOGETHER GOOD FRIDAY PROCESSION
Lord Commences at 11.00am at St Mary‟s Church in the town centre,
Saturday 11
th ending at the Bandstand. All are invited to take part in this joint
Holy Saturday act of prayer and witness.
9.00am Office of Readings and Morning Prayer BLESSING OF FOOD ON HOLY SATURDAY
9.45am Blessing of Easter food This is a custom which is very common in Poland but not
Celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord exclusive to Polish Catholics. All are welcome to participate in
the ceremony next Saturday morning at 9.45am. If you wish to
8.30pm Easter Vigil Mass bring some food for blessing, prepare it in a basket or similar.
begins outside with the Service of Light Foods typically included in the basket are bread, meat (e.g. ham,
(People of the parish) stuffed veal, suckling pig or lamb, sausage, bacon etc.), dairy
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Sunday 12 Easter Sunday (B) products (cheese, butter), eggs… To see a photo from last year
The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ go the parish blog and search on „Easter food‟. You can also find
10.00am Mass (Bill & Philip Major RIP) out more by Googling „Blessing of Easter Food‟.
12.00noon Mass (Latin, 1962 Missal) (James Beach RIP)
6.00pm Mass in Polish THE EASTER COLLECTION
Your kind offerings at Easter – whatever you can manage in
Preface of Palm Sunday, Eucharistic Prayer 2 these difficult financial times – are your personal gift to the parish
CONFESSIONS TIMES IN HOLY WEEK priest and are much appreciated. A priest‟s income is principally
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: before and after Mass whatever he receives from the parish (mainly Mass offerings). So
Good Friday: 10.15am; 4.00pm; the collections at Christmas and Easter form an important
supplement, enabling him to meet personal expenses such as
CHURCH CLEANING dental and optician's bills, clothing, holiday, etc. Priests must
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April 10 Tara; 17 Bridie; 24 Sheila; May 1 Sue; 8 Sue also pay Income Tax on benefits in kind such as food, heat and
COLLECTIONS LAST WEEK light, and use of the furniture in the Presbytery. Envelopes are
Offertory: £399.66 (Gift Aid: £176.50, loose plate: £223.16) + available in the foyer for those who are not part of the Gift Aid
£99 approx by standing order. To contribute by a regular Scheme. To conform to Inland Revenue regulations, cheques
standing order please ask for a form. Second collection: Parish should be made payable to "St. Simon Stock Catholic Church". If
Maintenance & Development Fund: £142.65 Thank you. you are going to be away at Easter, please be sure to give your
Second collection today: Flowers for Easter. offering before you go away or when you return. Many thanks.

Email: parish@stsimon.org.uk; Web: www.stsimon.org.uk;

Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/; diocesan website: www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
 FROM FATHER JOHN’S DESKTOP
On Friday it was announced that the Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Vincent
Nichols, currently archbishop of Birmingham, as the next archbishop of Westminster to succeed
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O‟Connor. Although Westminster is a different diocese, its archbishop
occupies a role of primacy amongst the bishops of England and Wales. Archbishop Nichols‟
appointment is therefore significant for all Catholics in those countries. Archbishop Nichols will be
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installed at Westminster Cathedral on 21 May, feast of the Ascension in the Roman calendar.
Let us pray that he may never lack the assistance of the Holy Spirit to govern his diocese wisely
as a shepherd in the image of Christ and to be an effective witness to the Catholic faith to the
people of our nation.
The G20 meeting occupied much news time last week. Pope Benedict wrote a letter to
Prime Minister Gordon Brown invoking Almighty God‟s abundant blessings upon the London
Summit as it sought for ways to resolve the current financial crisis.
He also reminded Mr Brown that the root of the financial problem is an ethical one. “Finance, commerce and
production systems are contingent human creations which, if they become objects of blind faith, bear within themselves
the roots of their own downfall. The only true and solid foundation is faith in the human person. For this reason all the
measures proposed to rein in this crisis must seek, ultimately, to offer security to families and stability to workers and …
to restore ethics to the financial world.” The Pope also pointed out the lack of representation of African nations: “Sub-
Saharan Africa is represented by just one State and some regional organizations. This situation must prompt a profound
reflection among the Summit participants, since those whose voice has least force in the political scene are precisely the
ones who suffer most from the harmful effects of a crisis for which they do not bear responsibility. Furthermore, in the long
run, it is they who have the most potential to contribute to the progress of everyone.” He called for a “renewed faith in the
human person” and, above all, “faith in the poorest men and women – of Africa and of other regions of the world affected
by extreme poverty.” How right Pope Benedict is!
Today St Paul tells us: “Christ Jesus did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the
condition of a slave … and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.”
Learning from and imitating Our Lord‟s example of humility will remind us of the necessity that we too should become
slaves, servants, of God and of all men and women, particularly those who are poorest. “Faith in the human person”, as
Pope Benedict put it, for it was for each and every human person that God‟s only Son accepted death on the Cross so
that the human person might be raised high with Him. Fr John
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK DIVINE MERCY NOVENA
Please pray for all our sick parishioners, particularly Caroline The nine days of prayer to the Divine Mercy commence on Good
Greenwood and Catherine Lowe. If you know of anyone who Friday and end on the Sunday after Easter Sunday. The chaplet
needs our prayers at the present time please place their names will be recited in the church at the following times: Good Friday:
in the box in the church foyer. All our sick parishioners, named 2.40pm; Easter Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: after
and un-named, are remembered in our prayers. morning Mass; Easter Thursday: 6.30pm (before evening Mass);
Easter Friday: after 9.30am Mass; Easter Saturday: 9.45am
THOSE WHO HAVE DIED (before morning Mass); Divine Mercy Sunday: see special
Your prayers are requested for the repose of the souls of: programme commencing 2.30pm, ending with Mass at 4.00pm
AGNES McNICOLL, late of Baileys Field, who died last Saturday (poster on notice board.) If you cannot attend, you are invited to
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28 March. We also pray for her husband Harry and for her make the novena privately.
family. Agnes‟ body will be received into the church at 4pm on
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Wednesday 15 April and her Requiem Mass will take place at HOUSE BLESSINGS
10.00am on Thursday 16 .
th Easter is a particularly fitting time to have one‟s house blessed.
JOAN WILLIAMS, late of Bateman‟s Corner, Bethersden, who If any parishioners have not had their home blessed, please let
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died last Friday 3 April. me know and I shall be happy to visit and bless your home. If
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE you would like to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart at the
same time, see Viv & Eileen at the repository so that they can
REGULAR EVENTS – COME ALONG! order one for you if necessary. Fr. John
DIVINE MERCY PRAYER GROUP PRO-LIFE PRAYER VIGIL MAIDSTONE
after the 9.00am Mass on Tuesday. Prayers of WEDNESDAY 15 APRIL
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intercession for various needs and silent Fr. John will lead this vigil on behalf of The Helpers of God‟s
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament till 10.00am. Precious Infants. Commences 10.30am after the morning Mass
MUSIC PRACTICE 7.30PM at St. Francis Church, Maidstone, with a prayerful and peaceful
Next practice – tomorrow, 7.30pm. procession to the Marie Stopes abortion facility in Brewer Street.
Practising for the Easter Triduum. Ends 12 noon. For fuller details see poster on notice board.
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BIBLE STUDY THURSDAYS 7.30PM DAY TRIP TO WALSINGHAM – 23 JULY
No meeting this week. Do join us on Thursday A parishioner has proposed a parish day trip on the shrine of Our
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week as we begin St Paul‟s 2 letter to the Corinthians. Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. Details are on the notice board.
EVANGELIUM – CATHOLIC FAITH ENQUIRY The price is per seat and is calculated on a break-even basis
For all, Catholic or not, who would like to deepen their assuming a full coach. Please sign up on the notice board.
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knowledge of the Catholic faith. Next meeting: Friday 17 April. YEAR OF ST PAUL – AYLESFORD 27 JUNE
Topic: The Eucharist. “PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS”
To celebrate the Year of St Paul as a diocese, Archbishop Kevin
DIVINE MERCY HOUSE PRAYER GROUP
invites us all to attend this special day at Aylesford. Many will
You are welcome to join the group at the next meeting on
remember the wonderful celebration at Aylesford for the Year of
Wednesday at 23 Cleves Way, Ashford. Arrivals from 10.15 am;
the Eucharist in 2005. There will probably be a joint coach for the
finish approx. 11.30. Prayer and social. Contact Kathleen
two Ashford parishes, but if numbers merit we could organise a
625428.
separate one. Please indicate interest by signing on the board.
This will also be the Deanery Pilgrimage for the year.
To catch up on previous newsletters visit http://www.stsimon.org.uk/Newsletters/. Parish blog: http://st-simon-parish.blogspot.com/