Category: Latest News

Christmas Masses at St. George’s Church:

Christmas Eve Morning – 10.00am   Christmas Day 9.30 a m

We have contacted as many parishioners as possible and these Masses are fully subscribed,  but the Christmas Day Mass will be live streamed offering a wonderful opportunity for us all to share in the celebration of the Birth of our Lord.  Due to Covid 19 restrictions, entrance to the church is by ticket only. Please do not come to the church unless you have the appropriate ticket. Stewards will also have a list of attendees for each day. I’m deeply sorry, but those who have not booked in will be turned away. This is to reduce the risk of spreading Covid 19 and is in line with government requirements regarding spacing.

Christmas Masses in other churches:

Our Lady of Ransom  Christmas Eve – 6.00pm, 9.00pm and Midnight Mass at 12.00.   Christmas Day –  9.15am, 11.30am

St Agnes     Christmas Eve – 6.00pm and 8.00pm.  Christmas Day – 8.00am (Mass in Latin) and 11.15am

St Gregory’s     Christmas Eve – 6.00pm.  Christmas Day – 9.30am and 11am

Booking is essential for all Masses

The common theme of today’s readings is that vigilant service prepares us for the coming of Christ as our Saviour during Christmas and as our judge and Lord at the end of the world. Advent is the season of special preparation for and expectation of the coming of Christ. It encourages us to examine our lives, to reflect on our need for God to enter our lives, and to prepare earnestly for, and eagerly await the coming of Christ. Take heed!” (Be on your guard) and “Watch!” (Be alert, stay awake, and don’t grow careless) The new liturgical year begins by challenging us to pay attention to endings and new beginnings because the central human experience is one of transitions and progress, from past through the present to the future. Today’s liturgy reminds us of what God has done in the past to encourage us to hope and work in the present for the final coming of the Lord to finish what he has begun. Hence Advent is not simply a waiting for someone who has not yet come. Instead, it is a period for enjoyment of the gift of Jesus who has come to save us; and who will come again to reward us. We begin a new liturgical year (Year B) and, with it, we shift from the Gospel of Matthew to the Gospel of Mark, the shortest and the first written gospel.

Let us remember that Christmas is about gift giving so use the period of Advent to forget about the material gifts and remember the real gift given to us in the manger over 2000 years ago. This week spend time considering yourself as a gift to the people in your life. Do not worry about the past but think about the many people for whom you can become a gift from God. Write them a letter, make telephone calls, give everyone a smile, help someone in need, talk to people around you, show them that you care. Jesus trusts us to do this every day of our lives. Let us remember this Advent the saying of St. Thomas Aquinas: “Without God, I can’t.  Without me, He won’t.”

There is a story told by Mgr Arthur Tonne about a newly ordained priest who was to deliver his first sermon and nervously started with the text, “Behold I come!” Then his mind went blank. He repeated, “Behold I come!” Still his brain wouldn’t function, so he leaned over the pulpit and repeated, “Behold I come!” At that moment the pulpit collapsed. He fell over into the lap of a lady. He got up and, red-faced, stammered, “Oh, I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” The lady was not upset in the least and replied, “That’s all right. I should have been expecting you. After all you warned me three times!”

Tell that story to as many people as you can and count how many do not laugh or smile at the final line – like I hope you did! I don’t think you will have many to count.

 “The Faith Companion parishioner magazine is now online only. Digital copies and subscriptions are available at http://www.thefaithcompanion.co.uk or call 01403 754808. We have now launched Catholic Gifts online selling The Faith Companion candle, rosaries and a gift card for gifts or subscriptions. Please support and pray for our mission to support the Church.”

Advent Workshop for Children:  On Sunday November 29^th we are going to hold an Advent Workshop for the children of the parish. This will be held online from 2.30pm for approximately an hour.

There will be games, singing, prayers, crafts and friendship.  Come and join us to celebrate the start of advent.

We will need you to sign up for the session so we can give you the log in details.  Please register your interest by contacting Sandra on 07791627368, email [email protected] or Teresa on 07951082592 , email [email protected]  

This week I thought that I would discover more about Thanksgiving Day as it is held on Thursday November 26th in United States and Canada and share it with you. It is a national holiday and celebrates the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Americans generally believe that their Thanksgiving is modelled on a 1621 harvest feast shared by the English colonists (Pilgrims) of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. This holiday is particularly rich in legend and symbolism, and the traditional fare of the Thanksgiving meal typically includes turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. 

                A writer called Bradford wrote about how the colonists had hunted wild turkeys during the autumn of 1621 and since turkey is a uniquely American bird, it gained place as the Thanksgiving meal of choice for Americans after Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

                 Cranberries are important on Thanksgiving Day because according to University of Maine Cooperative Extension, American Indians used cranberries as a food source, to dye fabric and as medicine. … Due to the importance of cranberries in the 1500s and their abundance, it is believed that the pilgrims and the American Indians would have eaten them at the first Thanksgiving.

                The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time, and pumpkin pie is generally eaten during the fall and early winter. In the United States and Canada, it is usually prepared for Thanksgiving, and other occasions when pumpkin is in season.

                Thanksgiving is important because it’s a positive and secular holiday where we celebrate gratitude, something of which we don’t do enough of these days.

                In the letter of St.Paul to the Philippians[4:6-7] we read: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

                One of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for, the thankfulness muscles respond to exercise!

                There are many references to thankfulness in the Old Testament. Listed below are some of the references and I invite you to look them up for yourselves.

Ezra 3:11.   Psalm 7:17.   Psalm 9:1.   Psalm 35:18.   Psalm 69:30.  Psalm 95:1-3.   Psalm 100:4-5.   Psalm 106:1

                Please include this Prayer of Gratitude written by John F.Kennedy in your prayers this week: “Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings—let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals—and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world. On that (this) day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.”

                I conclude with two bits of humour: When I think of “Thanksgiving Day,” I am reminded of the story of the little boy who saw his mother putting a thermometer in the turkey. He said, “If it is that sick, I don’t want any!”

                The small resident population in a nursing home had been gathered around their humble Thanksgiving table, and the director asked each in turn to express one thing for which he or she was thankful. Thanks were expressed for a home in which to stay, families, etc. One little old lady, when her turn came, said, “I thank the Lord for two perfectly good teeth left in my mouth, one in my upper jaw and one in my lower jaw. They match so well that I can chew my food.”

Private Prayer:  St Wilfrid’s Church will be open for private prayer on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9am-11am.  Please could we ask that you sign in on arrival and wear your own masks.

All WELCOMERS and STEWARDS are warmly invited to join a Digital Forum on Thursday 19^th November at 7.00pm. We will explore the successes and challenges you have experienced in your roles during the pandemic, as well as celebrating all that you do!

Please email the Inclusion Adviser at [email protected] if you wish to be involved, so a link to join the Forum can be sent to you.

We are nearing the end of this liturgical year. Next weekend with the Feast of Christ The King we will be at the end of the Church’s year. The following weekend, November 29th, will be the first Sunday of Advent and we move into Year B cycle of readings. Having said all that the readings for this weekend, November 15th, of the work we must in order to reach Heaven. These readings tell us to use the talents God gave us in such a way that when we die the Lord will say to us “Well done, my good and faithful servant!… Come and share the joy of your master”, words given us by St. Matthew in the Gospel.

The first reading from the Book of Proverbs feeds us with the wonderful idea that we should imitate the work of a loyal and faithful wife who brings out the goodness in everyone as she tends to the poor and needy.              

The Psalmist sings about the worth of the Lord’s faithful servants and how we can obtain happiness and joy in this life and the next. St. Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians tells us all to build everyone up whom we encounter in the coming weeks so that we will all be “children of the light” and so when Jesus comes we will be ready to greet him.

The parable of the talents challenges us to do something positive, constructive and life-affirming with our talents here and now. Yes, we can all do this in our homes and families and also in our parish. If you don’t already do this then perhaps you would consider offering yourself to share in the various ministries such as Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, Reader, Usher, singer in the choir, volunteer to help with activities such as Church cleaner or flower arranging or anywhere where help is needed. Please give your name to the secretary, Jackie, who is in the Parish Office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. (Telephone 01323 486280 with answerphone). We have all been given at least one talent – the gift of faith – and it is our responsibility to work with that gift.  So, please, put your faith to work and help it to bear fruit in the Polegate and Hailsham communities.

With my love and prayers. DJ

Remembrance Sunday is always held on the Sunday nearest to 11th November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the first World War at 11am in 1918. 11th November is also the feast day of St Martin of Tours – the soldier who became a saint. He served in the Roman cavalry in Gaul, but left military service at some point prior to 361. The story is related that when he was on duty one bitterly cold night he took his sword and, after cutting his soldier’s cloak in two, gave half of his cloak to a beggar on the roadside. Later that night Martin dreamed that he had given half of his soldier’s cloak to Christ.

We all know that our world today is existing in very troubled times. It is very important that we nurture our Christian hope in times like these. No matter how hard or threatening things become, it is very important that we continue to live our lives in hope. The central Christian message is a story of hope. God in the person of Christ was crucified – but God raised Jesus from the dead. What was true for Jesus, can be true also for us.

God’s inclusive love, as revealed to us in Jesus Christ, is what we are all about.  May God continue to bless you all as you seek to further the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ through love of God and our neighbour, as you live out that love here in the Eastbourne area and beyond in our very needy and troubled world. 

The prayer of consecration of the gifts of bread and wine ends with the words:  “Do this in memory of me.” ,These words were spoken by one who will never forget us, never abandon us, never overlook us. As our Lord remembers us, we need to remember him. His teachings. His miracles. His mercy. His example.

This is part of our prayer during this month of November as we remember those we love, those we have lost — but also remembering and praying for those we don’t even know. This year due to the trouble caused by Covid-19, in a departure from our usual practice of entering names ourselves of those we wish to be remembered please phone the Parish secretary, Jackie, and leave the names you wish to be added and I will ensure that they are added regularly during November.  As we pray for those we love in this month of November we ask God to increase our trust that all will be well. Our faith tells us that when we die we will be safe in the hands of God.

Let us now pause in silence for 2 Minutes as we remember all those who have died in war and also those whose names are in the Book of Remembrance.

…………………. 2 MINUTE ………………………

When the Irish writer Frank McCourt died, Mitch Albom, a friend of his, wrote: “Smiling is the best cradle in which to rock your memories.” So, as you recall your memories of those you love, do try to ensure that they make you smile.

Let us pray: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Godly Play:  Godly Play is a creative and engaging way of praying with children, young people and even adults!  Telling stories helps us explore God’s story, Bible stories, our own story, and where we fit in to it all.  Are you involved with, or interested in Godly Play?

Join members of the Diocesan Formation Team on Zoom, on Saturday 21^st November at 10.30am.  Please contact [email protected] for booking information.