St Wilfrid’s Church

St Wilfrid’s Church:  Advent Penitential Service and First Confession for our 7 candidates on Saturday 11th December at 5 pm.

Rehearsal for Nativity Mime at Christmas Eve Mass will be Saturday 18th December at 2pm, Children from St Wilfrid’s and St George’s are all welcome to take part in this special part of the Mass. 

Deacon John Writes

Food for thought:

A writer called Mark Link wrote the following: On the night of April 15, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank.  Over 1,500 people lost their lives in one of the worst sea disasters in history.  A few years ago a magazine recalled the great disaster and asked its readers this shocking, almost blasphemous, question: “If we’d been on the Titanic when it sank, would we have arranged the deckchairs?”  At first we say to ourselves, “What a ridiculous question!  No one in his right mind would ignore wailing sirens on a sinking ship and rearrange its deck chairs!  No one with an ounce of sanity would ignore the shouts of drowning people and keep arranging deck chairs!” But as we continue to read the magazine, we see the reason for the strange question.  And suddenly we ask ourselves, “Are we perhaps, rearranging the deckchairs on a sinking ship? —  For example, are we so caught up with material things in life that we are giving a back seat to spiritual things?  Are we so busy making a living that we are forgetting the purpose of life?  Are we so taken up with life that we are forgetting why God gave us life?”

CAFOD School Volunteers needed!

Looking for a new challenge? 

Could you visit schools in your local area to deliver assemblies and workshops about CAFOD’s work and encourage young people to take action, fundraise and pray with CAFOD? 

No experience necessary. Full support, resources and regular training provided.  

As well as using your skills to help the poorest people in the world volunteers are inspired by young people, it strengthens their faith, develops their communication and presentation skills, plus much more.   If this of interest and you would like more information, please contact either:  Jenny Finlayson, Community Participation Coordinator for Arundel and Brighton Diocese, email: [email protected] Tel: 01483 898866  Mobile: 07710 094448 or  Mike Dean Education Volunteer Coordinator for Arundel and Brighton Diocese email: [email protected] 

Please make a note in your diaries of our over 50’s activities.

This week – Thursday 25th November, 2pm, Afternoon Tea & Fun in our hall.  Homemade cakes/scones, sandwiches, plus “French gourmand”, fancy “bite size cakes/biscuits in English”, all for £3.  We have a small raffle, 50p per ticket.  Do come and join us.

Christmas Lunch at Kings Head – Horsebridge:  Thursday 9th December, in the function room, 12noon.  Three courses plus tea/coffee, mince pies and crackers, £18 including tip.  Please pay the £18 when booking, I will give you a copy of the menu so you can make your choice, to make it easier on the day for the chef and us.  I have had many bookings already and so advise you to book soon.  Our friends from St George’s are invited of course and many have booked already.  Lets make it a jolly good Christmas lunch enjoyed by all of us from both parishes, plus our non catholic friends.  If transport is a problem please contact Joan 07873390944.

Thursday 30th December, 2pm in our Hall for Afternoon Tea:   We have decided to make this a pre New Years Eve Party, special homemade food, music, games suitable to our age group!!  Crackers, goody bags and special raffle.  The cost for this will be £5 and I can assure you it will be worth every penny – come on lets party!

All these events are open to St Wilfrid’s and St George’s plus any friends are most welcome of course.  Please contact Joan 07873390944 or after Sunday and Wednesday Mass in the Hall.

Everyone loves a ‘Teddy Bear’

We have been given quite a few to sell, plus good items donated by Ann and David Hoad that belonged to their daughter “Hannah” a “larger than life” character to all who new her.  She has been a sad loss in our community and in her honour they have given us toys and teenage items to sell and the money raised will go to the “Lourdes Fund”, so more children can go to this “special place” that Hannah loved and looked forward to every year.  The goods and teddies will be on sale in our hall after Mass this Sunday.  Please take the time to pop in and purchase something “Christmas is coming” in her honour.  Thank you.

St Wilfrid’s Church

Advent Penitential Service and First Confession for our 7 candidates on Saturday 11th December at 5 pm.

Rehearsal for Nativity Mime at Christmas Eve Mass will be Saturday 18th December at 11 am, Children from St Wilfrid’s and St George’s are all welcome to take part in this special part of the Mass. 

Deacon John Writes

This short quotation said a lot to me. I hope you like it! 

Eyes to See by Frank Topping

Lord, give me eyes to see in the light you shed upon the world. Let me see the magic of common place things. Let me see the mystery of creation in the sky that goes on being endless day after day. Let me see the wonder of creation in the families of birds that have flown for thousands of years across endless miles of sea, guided by what? Let me see the whole of creation in a blade of grass, and the reason for it all in an act of kindness.

Synod of Bishops – not just for Bishops BUT FOR YOU.

The Pope says that the Synod represents the main road for the Church, called to renew herself under the action of the Spirit and by listening to the Word.
The ability to imagine a different future for the Church and her institutions, in keeping with the mission she has received, depends largely on the decision to initiate processes of listening, dialogue, and community discernment, in which each and every person can participate and contribute.
Our Diocese is starting this listening process during December 2021, with a number of questions shared directly with  parishes. The Diocese will also share the Synod questions on its website https://www.abdiocese.org.uk/synod

The Synod provides us with an opportunity to be creative about who we engage with; are there people who are housebound you could talk to over the phone? Could you use the Diocese’s upcoming Junior Synod resources to engage the children of your parish and help them feel included? Perhaps you could set up your own group, using the materials to be provided soon by the Diocese?

Please make a note in your diaries of our over 50’s Activities

Thursday 25th November, 2pm, Afternoon Tea & Fun in our hall.  Homemade cakes/scones, sandwiches, plus “French gourmand”, fancy “bite size cakes/biscuits in English”, all for £3.  We have a small raffle, 50p per ticket.  Do come and join us.

Christmas Lunch at Kings Head – Horsebridge:  Thursday 9th December, in the function room, 12noon.  Three courses plus tea/coffee, mince pies and crackers, £18 including tip.  Please pay the £18 when booking, I will give you a copy of the menu so you can make your choice, to make it easier on the day for the chef and us.  I have had many bookings already and so advise you to book soon.  Our friends from St George’s are invited of course and many have booked already.  Lets make it a jolly good Christmas lunch enjoyed by all of us from both parishes, plus our non catholic friends.  If transport is a problem please contact Joan 07873390944.

Thursday 30th December, 2pm in our Hall for Afternoon Tea:   We have decided to make this a pre New Years Eve Party, special homemade food, music, games suitable to our age group!!  Crackers, goody bags and special raffle.  The cost for this will be £5 and I can assure you it will be worth every penny – come on lets party!

All these events are open to St Wilfrid’s and St George’s plus any friends are most welcome of course.  Please contact Joan 07873390944 or after Sunday and Wednesday Mass in the Hall.