CHURCH OPEN: Thursdays 11am to 1pm for visits to the Blessed Sacrament and quiet prayer, meditation.

MASS ON WEDNESDAYS – Holy Mass – 6.00pm
Eucharistic Exposition 6.25pm-6.55pm
Sacrament of Reconciliation: 6.25pm-6.55pm, Benediction: 6.55pm

READINGS FOR 3 DECEMBER
1^st Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1-8, Oh that you would tear the heavens open and come down.
Psalm 79: God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
2^nd Reading: I Corinthians 1:3-9, We are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.
Gospel Reading: Mark 13:33-37, Stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming.
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! Let us see O Lord your mercy and give us your saving help.  Alleluia!
Communion antiphon: The Lord will shower his gifts and our land will yield its fruit.

POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR DECEMBER
Volunteer Organisations
Let us pray that volunteer, non-profit organisations committed to human development find people dedicated to common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths to international co-operation.

SAINTS & FEAST DAYS THIS WEEK
4 December – St John Damascene
5 December – St John Almond
6 December – St Nicholas: a 4^th century bishop, ‘Santa Claus’ is based on his patronage of children, who in the Low Countries, receive presents on his feast in remembrance of his charity.
7 December – St Ambrose
9 December – St Juan Diego Cuahtlatoatzin

CHRISTMAS DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – EVERYONE IS VERY WELCOME!

CHRISTMAS FAYRE & COFFEE MORNING: SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER
Please join us in the hall after Mass today, to start getting into the Christmas spirit: Christmas cakes and bakes, books available, plus a Christmas raffle.  Family & friends welcome!
Christmas Draw tickets are still available: £5 per strip / £1 a ticket – for parishioners, families and friends.
SERVICE OF RECONCILIATION: Friday 15 December at 7pm.  All are welcome!
CHRISTINGLE & CAROL SERVICE: Sunday 17 December at 3pm – followed by tea/coffee, when the Christmas Draw will take place.
CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES
Christmas Eve: the first Mass of Christmas – 8pm 
Christmas Day – 10am
From Vivienne: refreshments and mince pies served in the presbytery after each of these Christmas Masses.  Tickets: £2, children, free.

CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISING DRAW 2023: Tickets & Prizes
Raffle tickets (£5 per strip / £1 per individual ticket) are available for this year’s Draw.  Please help to sell them and return counterfoils, with name and contact number on, by Sunday 17 December, when we will have the draw after the Christingle Service on 17 December.
Many thanks for all donations of prizes..

1^st CONFESSIONS
Please pray for our children Lily and Ashley, who will be making their 1^st Confessions next week, an important stage in their preparation for making their 1^st Holy Communions next summer. May God bless them and their families.  Special blessings for Imara, who made her 1^st Confession last week, before moving to America

LADIES CAROL SERVICE, ST STEPHEN’S, BANKS: Friday 8 December, 7.30pm.  Refreshments served after the Service.  Please ring David Yardley: 01704 231327 asap for catering purposes.

GDPR FORMS
A reminder that all forms need to be returned to the Parish Office asap please, so that we can update our database with your permissions to contact you via telephone / post / email for the next three years.  Please help us to keep in touch with you! We will be unable to contact you after 31 December, if the forms are not returned. (Only 32 returned so far…). Deadline: 31 December
Thank you.

PARISH FOODBANK
Rev Dave wishes to pass on his thanks and blessings to all those who regularly donate foodstuffs.  There is still a need for dried foods eg pasta and rice, breakfast cereals, plus tins of vegetables, meat and fish.  Your generosity is a real help to our local families, especially now that autumn has set in and energy bills are increasing again.
DISUSED GLASSES / SPECTACLES
Please have a rummage at home and bring old prescription glasses along.  They can be used by opticians in Africa to help local communities. 

PARISH GARDEN: PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN
Thanks to the tremendous efforts of parishioners back in June, we now have a lovely patch of colour brightening up the front of the presbytery – much appreciated by increasing numbers of pollinators.  However, the recent rain and the current heatwave mean that the weeds are overwhelming the flowers! 
If any parishioner is able to spare an hour during the next couple of weeks to pop along at any time (no appointment needed!), in order to weed / de-head it would be very much appreciated.  Please bring your own kneeler / trowels – and water.  Garden waste can be put straight into the brown bin.  Many thanks.

OFFERTORY ENVELOPES + GIFT AID
If you are a taxpayer then you can easily help the parish to claim 25% extra on top of every donation you make.  Eg: a donation of £5 per week would result in £6.25 going to the church. Filling in a simple form to register your name and address means we can claim an additional 25% of your gift.  If you are able to help, please collect a form from the porch on your way out today, complete and return to the Parish Office.

In addition, you may wish to consider using an offertory envelope (they are free and use re-cycled paper) in which to make your weekly donation.  It’s akin to ‘wrapping up your gift’ for Our Lord!  Again, please contact the Parish Office if you’d like to start using them.

CATHOLIC PICTORIAL
Keeping you up to date with all the news from around the Archdiocese online: www.catholicpic.co.uk
Postal subscriptions are available: 3 issues = £9.50, 6 issues = £19 and 12 issues = £37.50.
Email enquiries@cpmmmedia.com or ring 0151 709 7567.
Digital copies are also available.  Please use the phone number / email address above

DONATIONS FOR IAT – MOSS LANE DEPOT
Please remember that unwanted clothing, bedding, tins of food, packs of dried food will be gratefully received by volunteers at our local depot, to help those thousands of Ukrainians affected by the flooding as a result of the recent bombing.  They are very grateful for all help received.  It really makes a difference.

PLEASE CONSIDER OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR PARISH
We are very grateful for offers of help already, with regards to gardening jobs and keeping the grounds of the church neat and tidy.  Thank you!
However, there are still a number of opportunities for our parishioners to become a bit more involved in parish life and your help is both needed and much appreciated.  Areas where help is needed include with the Little Church group on Sundays, singing with the choir, flower arranging, church cleaning, altar serving and some serious fund-raising.  Help is welcome from all ages, and advice / training will be provided. Please contact the Parish Office by email or ring on Thursdays, in order to find out more.